This case study describes the spiritual care relationship between an African American man receiving palliative care for metastatic cancer and a Chinese American woman chaplain over the period of multiple hospitalizations. It illustrates legacy making as a key spiritual need, one that is complicated by discrimination, structural racism, estranged family relationships, and the patient's own mortality. Included are verbatim conversations that address the impact of racism in the US context and express the complex identities of both patient and chaplain in a dynamic and collaborative intercultural relationship. This case posits the importance of voices of chaplains of color and encourages all chaplains to develop caregiving capacities that address patients' needs for racial justice, meaning, and spiritual legacy.
Keyphrases
- african american
- advanced cancer
- palliative care
- case report
- end stage renal disease
- newly diagnosed
- ejection fraction
- small cell lung cancer
- squamous cell carcinoma
- quality improvement
- healthcare
- peritoneal dialysis
- chronic kidney disease
- prognostic factors
- mental illness
- pain management
- type diabetes
- mental health
- squamous cell