My Sisters Keeper: Promyelocytic Leukemia - Essay Example

"My Sister’s Keeper: Promyelocytic Leukemia" is a wonderful example of a paper on cancer.
My Sister’s Keeper is a movie that revolves around the lives of a family that has a daughter with leukemia. The daughter, Kate Fitzgerald, is suffering from promyelocytic leukemia. The presentation deals with her characters and health using the functional health patterns. The family struggles to keep the daughter alive after the doctor gives her a short time to live. However, the family decides to conceive another child with genetic abilities to save Kate’s life.

Kate Fitzgerald situation

She is 16 years and was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 2. The treatment no longer works, and she is continually getting weak. She has developed kidney failure, thus receives hemodialysis and chemotherapy.

Functional health patterns

Activity/exercise

Due to her condition, Kate is mostly under the medication and too weak to exercise. She is however supported by a family who encourages her to go to the beach and shopping.

Cognitive pattern

Kate’s condition gives her a painful experience but is managed through treatment. She does not have a problem with cognition and enjoys reading and music. She understands her situation and how hectic it is for the family. She wants to commit suicide instead of having a kidney transplant.

Sleep and rest

Being from an understanding family, Kate sleeps most of the time. The family encourages her to rest most of her time.

She sleeps most of the day.

Perception

Kate understands her condition and has learned to appreciate her condition. She is also recognizant of the fact that she is a burden to the family. She feels that she should end her life to eliminate the burden.

Relationships

Kate has a good family relation. The family members are close and help each other in caring for Kate.  However, the family breaks apart when Kate’s sister lodges a petition to allow her to decide what to do with her body whose genetic composition is used to keep Kate alive.

She dates Taylor, who encourages her to carry on despite her condition.

Sexuality

Though she has Leukemia, Kate has a sense of romance and at one time has sex with her boyfriend, Taylor.

Observation of normal health patterns

Kate's cognitive pattern is normal as she understands the nature of her condition and how it affects her family. She is sympathetic to her parents and small sister and is determined to take responsibility for an elder sister. Kate is sensitive about family relations and romantic relations. She loves Taylor and is depressed when she finds out about his death. She even attempts suicide.

Observed abnormal health patterns

She attempts suicide upon knowing about the death of her boyfriend. She is continually getting weaker, despite the treatment.

Further observations

Geographical: The family lives in the state of California.

Religious: There is no religious talk during the playtime of the movie.

Cultural: The family is close and does anything possible to save a family member. They have excellent relationships and discuss any issues arising from the health of Kate.

Ethnic: the family is Caucasian.   

Nursing diagnoses

The patient has several problems arising from her condition. Possible nursing diagnosis includes:

• Nausea arising from chemotherapy
• Acute pain
• Regular nose bleeding

Health promotion, prevention, and maintenance

Health promotion: Avoid exposure to chemical substances such as benzene. Also, avoid exposure to tobacco smoke (Battaglini et al., 2009). High-intensity radiation should also be avoided.

Health prevention: avoid any tissue injury and have adequate measures to curb bleeding. Ensure that the patient takes in enough fluids to avoid dehydration.

Health maintenance: anticipate a painful experience and be ready to induce pain-relieving medication. Nausea is a common problem in chemotherapy. Administer anti-nausea measures before undertaking chemotherapy (Saunders, 2012).

Community resources

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (llc.org) is an organization that assists leukemia patients in terms of information, where to get specialized care, and also how to cope with leukemia. The organization is composed of experts and people with the disease.

Cancer Care Organization (cancercare.org) helps in fighting the bold cancers. The organization provides reading resources and offers insights into the disease.