Tsnuel Bayou

Med Hum

Dr. Perderson

March 2,2023

Response to Every Last Breath

Joanne Jacobson's perspective was significantly impacted when her own diagnosis with a rare

blood condition caused a shift in her writing about her mother's lung illness. Every Last Breath

tracks the unforeseen intertwining of these two chronic illnesses. She takes readers through an

emotionally authentic and present moment-When the line between sickness and wellbeing is

blurred by chronic illness, she learns how a lifetime of recurrence and remission can foster

reinvention. I truly believe that our perspectives are shaped by our experiences, reading this book

made me shift my whole outlook on life. It showed that in all darkness, struggle, and pain, we

can choose to focus on the things that matter. I felt like their ever-growing bond is what kept

them pushing through their illnesses. It was interesting to see the daughter describe that bond she

shares with her mother and how she would never give up the situation they’re in. I used to be

someone who saw my problems as a hindrance to my goal, but I never saw it as an opportunity to

grow and learn to maneuver through obstacles. As I read this story between a mother and

daughter, It gave me a different perspective as to how I look at my problems. I think the big

thing I took away from Every Last Breath is being able to accept my problems and the things that

are out of my control. Without doing that, I feel like we become prisoners in our mind,

overthinking things that don’t require our input. Life is not always about staying structured or

balanced, It’s wobbly and messy. These two women are dealing with health problems that I can’t
even begin to imagine, and yet they choose to accept their problems as it is and focus on growing

their bond even stronger. Their life is far from perfect, but it’s filled with acceptance, patience,

and grace. It reminded me that if someone dealing with a chronic illness can have such a positive

and welcoming outlook on life, then why can't I ? The Book also made me realize the amount of

blessings that I have been overlooking because I tend to wrap my head around that thing’s I

haven’t done or constantly feel like I am behind. The fact that I am healthy and have full control

of my day gives me all I need, but I don’t always acknowledge it, and come to find people who

don’t have those things in their life do it much better than I ever could.

Every Last Breath is definitely a story that leaves readers reflecting on how they’ve been

viewing their lives, at least that’s the experience I had. This book made me think about how

there is so much distance between people. Our entitlement, ego, and lack of self-awareness

makes us disregard our surroundings and overlook many things. Chronic illness is not a problem

you deal with whenever you have down time. It’s part of their daily lives and they have to think

about every little thing that I don't even spend seconds thinking about. Having control of our

routine, being able to move around by ourselves, and having our health not be our daily concern

is a huge blessing that I somehow manage to take for granted because I’m so busy thinking about

the things I don’t have yet. This story has taught me to be content with what I have and accept

things that are out of my control. It reminded me that I should live life by acknowledging the

blessings and the control I have in my life, as well as that fact that there are problems in this

world way beyond my little daily inconveniences. I feel like coming to this understanding will

create many doors for open and honest conversation about people dealing with chronic illness

because I get the feeling that they are one of the most misunderstood people on this earth. It all
comes down to being mindful and setting our sense of entitlement aside and truly listening. I

really needed a perspective shift and that is what Every Last Breath did for me.