NCM107: Care of Mother, Child, Adolescent (Well Client) Lecture

Serrano, Alyssa Marie C.

SN: 19-1527

Activity 2 for Midterms

Movie: Awakenings (1990)

Starring: Robin Williams and Robert De Niro

 A. Movie Summary

The story of the movie “Awakenings” (1990) was about a research doctor, Dr. Sayer who will then

handling and diagnosing patient for the first time as a doctor in a mental hospice. He does not have any

experience in working with patients, and these patients were in chronic conditions for decades. He

doesn’t seem to know what to do or on how to deal a chronically ill patient. When he had his first

patient to diagnose, he noticed that this old people still have their strong reflex and he begun to review

all the patient’s record. At first, the patients’ diagnoses were almost the same for years, “atypical

something” and he eventually found the cause of their condition which was the “encephalitis

lethargica”, an epidemic in the 1920s that caused this condition to the patients. He then reached out to

an old doctor who worked with this kind of patients, and he search for possible solution to help these

patients’ with almost a Parkinson’s Disease.

Dr. Sayer discovered a new possible cure for Parkinson’s, the L-dopa which is in a new drug. He is eyeing

to one specific patient which is Mr. Leonard Lowe, who’s condition was like a “frozen” body and being

taken care of by his mother. Dr. Sayer asked the permission of his superior in the institution, but his

superior have doubts about Dr. Sayer’s experiment but they allow him to pursue it with only one patient

and with family’s consent. Dr. Sayer talked to Mrs. Lowe and asked for her consent to do the experiment

to his son. Mrs. Lowe was in doubt, but Dr. Sayer convinced her and they begun the experiment of the L-

dopa drug to Mr. Leonard. They started with a small amount of dosage, and increasing it day by day.

One evening, Dr. Sayer administered a 1000grams of L-dopa to Leonard. While at the bedside, Dr. Sayer

fell asleep and when he woke up Leonard was not in his bed. He searched for him and found him alone

trying to write his name on a piece of paper.

Dr. Sayer’s hope has awakened, and he started to monitor Mr. Lowe’s improvement every day. He even

brought him outside to explore and experience things that Mr. Lowe was not able to do the past 30

years.

Seeing Mr. Lowe’s current improvement with his condition, Dr. Sayer decided to put the rest of the

patient with catatonic condition like Mr. Lowe into medication of L-dopa. But his superior was about to

denied this due to its expensive cost, then Dr. Sayer’s colleague the nurses and other staff of the

institution gave their salary as a contribution in Dr. Sayer’s plan. It was summer in 1969 when these

catatonic patients were awakened by the L-dopa drug. They were all awakened and became active, not

knowing these patients were still living in the years they became catatonic. Leonard then met a girl for

the first time who he talked to and I think he fell in love with her for the first time. They enjoyed this

summer until some side effects of L-dopa started to hit Mr. Lowe. He asked for freedom and if he can go

outside on his own, but the institution did not allow it and he became aggressive and tics were become

more prominent. When he realized what Dr. Sayer had told him, he come to his senses and asked Dr.

Sayer to help him be better.

Mr. Lowe’s condition was somehow getting worse but he is willing to help Dr. Sayer in his study about

his condition until Leonard became catatonic again, unable to talk and walk. The rest of the patient who

undergone L-dopa administration were also came back to catatonic condition. It was that summer of

1969 were the patients of hospital in Bronx have their awakenings and after that, they return to their

old conditions. But they realized that other than the drugs that given to these patients, simple things

also matter, the stolen years of their lives were awakened and they had the privileged to enjoy it in a

short time. Dr. Sayer did not give up to the patients, and he continue to search drug to improve their

conditions.
 B. Reflection

The movie “Awakenings” of 1990 was a story of hope and miracle. It shows that as a healthcare

provider, they have the responsibility to make their patient well, even if for others it is impossible. Just

like what Dr. Sayer did, he see’s the hope of these patients to get better and he search for possible

solution to help them in their conditions. He gave them hope and miracle in that summer of 1969. It

may be a short time but we saw in their faces the happiness that they feel when they were awakened.

Dr. Sayer’s experiment may not succeed, its either the drug did not work or the patients’ condition were

really irreversible, but what matter is that he tried to give them life again after decades of “sleeping

sickness”. They may not remember that short period of time, but they felt happiness and hope and

miracle because of Dr. Sayer.

C. Learning derived

It showed as that as a healthcare provider, we must do are responsibility to make our patients better.

We may find it impossible to do, we can still try and it might surprise us by its result. Let’s not make

them fell that they are a problem, rather let’s help them to get better. Sometimes its not the drug that

will help them feel better, as Dr. Sayer said “it’s the simple things”, play with them, help them when

they need it, have conversation with them and just simply be with them in quiet times can help them to

feel better. Its not always the medication, it’s the simple things.