Palliative care physician Madeline Leong, MD, has a theatrical bent and she is channeling it into her work at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Hospital, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Dr. Leong penned a one-act play about end-of-life decisions that will debut Thursday. This work, entitled "Life Support," garnered funding from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and will be performed by local actors, according to the report.
The play centers on a 65-year-old man named Karl, who is a hard-working businessman determined to overcome complications from a bone marrow transplant, and his fifth wife Lori. When the couple finds out Karl's recovery isn't going well, the young Lori does not react well. The 90-minute performance carefully weaves in details about Karl, Lori and their physician Dr. Rachel Li, to portray the challenges and nuances that influence palliative care and end-of-life directives, according to the report.
"Life Support" addresses multiple steps of end-of-life decision making, including choosing a person to make health decisions for you if you no longer can, discussing your wishes with them and then discussing these choices with a physician.
The purpose? To help audience members — both patients and medical staff — better understand how to approach and improve end-of-life discussions.
"Life Support" Is Dr. Leong's second work. Her first, called "Stage IV," on advanced cancer, won a local award from Mobtown Players, according to the report. She told The Baltimore Sun her next work will examine hospice care.
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