A witness of the human spirit.

~ ~ ~ I ne of the critical elements that under 1 1 girds my commitment to patient care \ ^ J is the vantage point I have had in wit± nessing the human spirit . Harry Truman once said, "The way in which you endure that which you must endure is more important than the crisis itself." Patients in acute care facilities experience crises in varying degrees of severity. Some patients meet this challenge by mustering a great internal strength. This previously untapped resource can provide the patient, her family, and her care givers a sense of well-being, peace, and fortitude in times of pain, helplessness, and weak ness. In my clinical experience two patients have best illustrated this human spirit.