It was introduced minimally, so you don't really know much about the story, other than it's set in Melbourne and focuses on a family that has experienced something incredibly traumatic but has found a way to keep living with hope.
I really liked the voice of the reporter in this story, he seems warm and genuine but isn't overly present. But I think the mother in this particular story is so fascinating in how she looks at life, expresses herself and what she does with her time. Parts of this story made me laugh but there were certainly parts that made feel uneasy too, with some of the ideas about living and contributing to a community that were being expressed.
Last year I was really interested in listening to and making stories about what happens to people when something unexpected and usually bad happens in their lives. I think it reflected something that was happening in my family, with my aunt being very unwell, and feeling really confronted and scared and far from home. I no longer have the urge to make or seek out those particular kinds of stories, and I realised that as I listened to this story, I was happy to go along with wherever it went without trying to take anything specific away from it.
Encounter: A Family Life
I listened to this story whilst working on my special apple pie, which I finished baking this morning.
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Wow, what a profound, provocative story. It touches a nerve for me, after being faced with the same pressure/advice from medical staff to switch life support machines off when my uncle's lungs failed. I still don't fully understand whether there was any alternative to turning his machines off, the atmosphere was very confused and rushed, and I wasn't the only family member there, and wasn't even sure who would be considered his closest relative.
ReplyDeleteBut apart from the personal memories it throws up, this is an extraordinary story. The parents' resilience, and the fact that they still have room in their hearts for the wider community is so striking. And did you see the links to Anthony's travel blog and other writing? What a family. Loved the understated style of the doco too, I think a lot of Encounter pieces are like this.
I had no idea that you were involved in a decision like that Vanessa, that is so daunting, especially in an emergency/hospital situation. I remember when you went to give the eulogy for your uncle, after we met up in Lismore all those years ago.
DeleteI did see Anthony's blogs! It's really cool that you can get a little look into what his life is like now, initially I thought they were the blogs written by the father.
This story reminded me of a Radiolab story I listened to ages ago, about babies born on the border of what's considered to be a medically recognised time for extremely premature babies to survive and live a healthy life. In it, there's a moment that reminded me of the one in Encounter where they decide to put the question to Anthony, where the babies suddenly grasp onto the parent's finger from their humidicrib. Apparently it's a reflex but it totally plays into the decision of some parents to see whether the child can survive: http://www.radiolab.org/story/288733-23-weeks-6-days/
Also, I listened to this story on the same day as the Encounter story and found it so sad and real. It is recorded in a hospice and features some amazing nurses who are given the task explaining to friends and family that a loved one is dying. It reminded me of some conversations I've had with Janet who works in palliative care, and some of the sounds in this story take me right back to the last two times I saw my aunt: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/523/death-and-taxes?act=1