Handbags

There's something about patients' handbags which remind me that before me is a person, and not just a body. You can put all sorts of things that signify life and existence in this world in a handbag: keys, wallet, tissues, mobile phone, diary, random hard-boiled candies wrapped in clear cellophane... you get the point. A few weeks ago, a dear old lady in Ward C passed away. Her handbag was always at the foot of the bed. After the arrest call and proceedings, as the people in the room started to clear away, I noticed that her handbag was still there by the foot of the bed. And then I couldn't help but wander about how her family would feel taking it back home without her. It made me feel quite sad at her passing, even though I'd only seen her a few times during ward rounds. She was a person, with a handbag full of worldly things that are of no use to her in the next journey. And by then, neither are we...