Ifugao State University

Nayon, Lamut, Ifugao

Graduate School
College of Health Sciences










MY SISTERS KEEPER







Submitted to:
LESLIE ANN H. MONAYAO, RN, RM, MAN, CRN


Submitted by:

BRIGITTE U. BUMANGHAT





January 3, 2014


MY SISTERS KEEPER
SUMMARY

My Sister's Keeper is a story about a loving family who has to undergo painful sacrifices
and challenges to make their family stronger. Brian and Sarah Fitzgerald had three
children, Kate, Jesse and Ana. Kate was diagnosed with leukemia at age four which
made her parents to have another child, Ana. Ana Fitzgerald was genetically
engineered, conceived, and born to be a perfect donor of body parts to her sisters
needs, thus, ethical dilemma aroused. The condition of Kate Fitzgerald, affected all
members of the family including works, responsibilities, rights and even obligations to
each other. Sarah, quit her job as a lawyer and will do anything to keep Kate alive in
the extent of using Ana. Jesse has dyslexia when he was young that his parents didnt
focus much because of Kates condition.
The serious issue in the story was when Kates kidney wasnt functioning well and this
leads to the situation that Ana must have to donate her other kidney to her sister in
order for her to survive. Ana decided to sue her parents for the rights of her own body.
The family was much affected for what had Ana did. Sarah cannot accept the
decision of her daughter that she even strikes her across the face when she received
the notice about the case.
At an early age, Ana had been donating parts of her body to Kate and her mother let
her believed that it is her duty to help her sister. This made it hard for Ana to
CONTRADICT the decisions of her parents regardless of the complications and the risk of
acquiring infection. What her parents dont know was that it was Kate who was behind
Anas movements. Kate was ready to die for her own good but her overprotective
mother cannot let her go. It is Kates way to let her parents realize that it is time to let
her go.
Sarah faced the case but still she has been so stubborn and it seems like she did not yet
realized that Ana has been suffering from complications just to keep her sister alive.
During a session, Jesse interrupted and revealed that it was Kate who asked Ana for the
favor. Kate had been telling that she wants to go but Sarah did not want to hear about
it.
One evening, Kate and Sarah was left alone in the hospital; Kate gave Sarah a
scrapbook that she made herself. It was a memory from the time she had leukemia until
her death. And during that night, Kate passed away. Its hard for Sarah but eventually
she accepted.
Ana won the case in the end and her mother went back to work.
After that, every year during Kates birthday, the family takes a vacation on the same
place that Kate loves.

REACTION
At first, you would think that the story is all about Ana Fitzgerald and her fight to be
medically emancipated but in the end it was all about a family that is falling apart
trying to fight the situation of having a dying family member.
I was fascinated by one phrase in the movie, on the surface everything seems to be
alright, but in truth, the issues underneath it all are still ugly and terrifying, and it is driving
us apart. Other people may see them to be just fine but in reality their situation is really
tough especially when the ethical dilemma aroused. The ethical dilemma Im talking
about worsened when Ana had sued her parents for medical emancipation. It was a
dilemma for the family because they are fighting for two issues, the case and the
situation where Kate is dying from leukemia. It seems like as Kate is dying, the family also
dies. Sarah was so stubborn to save Kates life while Ana is fighting for the rights to her
own body.
Sarah fighting for her daughters life is understandable because no mother would just
let their children suffer and die. But Sarah was so focused on Kates situation that she
doesnt care about anything else. It seems like Kate is the only person that is very much
important to her. This is one reason why Sarah failed to realize that Ana is also her
daughter and she is risking her life for complications just to help her sister. What if Ana
donated her kidney and it did not work so its just useless. Sarah did not think that in
Anas case it is harmful for her health because she had undergone frequent donations.
During the case, Anas lawyer asked the question, But who stands up for Ana? It was
like an eye opener for Brian and Sarah.
Unlike her other family members who listened and accepted Kates wishes and asked
to provide her the quality of life that she needs, it took Sarah until the last minute to
accept the unavoidable situation of Kate and to finally release her.

IMPLICATION TO NURSING

This movie seems to point out that it is essential for a nurse to help or guide a family who
is undergoing such crisis. Since situations like this requires multiple levels of support,
nurses can help the family to cope up with the situation by referring them to counselors
or be counselors themselves. Nurses can also assist families by anticipating concerns.
Since the movie is all about leukemia, I would like to point this implication to oncology
nursing. The nurse has to take into consideration the situation of being in oncology
department. They have to deal with tough situations especially when its a life and
death situation. It is their duty to be there for the patient and the family when they need
them not forgetting ethics and nurse-patient relationship. Nurses must be tough during
situations like this in order for them to help the family cope and not cope with family.
When patients ask them questions, nurses must always be patient to answer patients
questions. Nurses must be critical in providing accurate information, education and
anticipatory guidance.
Lastly, I would like to share this quote from a blog that I have read. An oncology ward
is a battlefield, and there are definite hierarchies of command. The nurses, they're the
ones doing the tour of duty. The doctors breeze in and out like conquering heroes, but
they need to read your child's chart to remember where they've left off from the
previous visit. It is the nurses who are the seasoned sergeants -- the ones who are there
when your baby is shaking with such a high fever she needs to be bathed in ice, the
ones who can teach you how to flush a central venous catheter, or suggest which
patient floor might still have Popsicles left to be stolen, or tell you which dry cleaners
know how to remove the stains of blood and chemotherapies from clothing. The nurses
know the name of your daughter's stuffed walrus and show her how to make tissue
paper flowers to twine around her IV stand. The doctor's may be mapping out the war
games, but it is the nurses who make the conflict bearable.