Those we carry

All of us have our own burdens, names chiselled on our hearts. We carry their bodies in silence. We carry them alone, refusing to cry. We hold them close, and keep the living at arm’s length.

We shouldn’t carry these bodies alone–just as no one should ever die alone. “Lay us down,” they would tell us. Breathe deep. Hear them whisper. They want us to carry them home—carry them home, and then let them go. They didn’t die so that we could watch each other suffer. Our patients, our families, our friends–they deserve better. They deserve more. We deserve more.

Read the full article by Jennifer Leckie (@browofjustice) published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society (sadly, not currently now open access!). To hear more from Jennifer, listen to her podcast.

Visit Those We Carry – “a space for us to share our stories: the difficult cases that never leave us, the triumph and the cost”. Follow @thosewecarry on Twitter.

• Leckie JD. I Will Not Cry. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2018; https://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201803-159IP

If you are experiencing depression or suicidal ideation, get support now: if you are in Australia, contact Beyond Blue.