Dying with dignity

Wang Quanlin, 51, had advanced ovarian cancer. Miller encountered her after she had been bedridden in the hospital for six months. He advised her family to take her home and provide palliative care.

For late-stage cancer patients, tumors and toxins accumulate in the body, devouring it bit by bit. Rogue cells had been eating away Wang's health in increments for four years.

Her face was round, with pale lips, and a pair of dark eyes peered like little buttons from puffy cheeks that were shriveled and dull.

Her husband had died several years earlier and her poor financial situation had led her to choose a conservative, less expensive treatment for her disease, which allowed it to ravage her body all the more. Her son, a recent college graduate, was her sole support.

At the end of her life, in familiar surroundings at home, Wang could only take short breaths. But she wasn't in pain. Her eyes were open in her final moments, gazing heavenward as if observing a celestial scene, a common occurrence, according to experts.

The hospice team of social workers led by Miller, together with nurses from Yangquan You'ai hospital, provided powerful medications to ward off pain and ease Wang's breathing. Morphine may be used, and a sedative adds to the calming effect.

Under a dim light in her home in southern Yangquan, Wang died peacefully on the evening of June 17, surrounded by beloved relatives and with her son at her side. The love in the room was palpable, unlike an impersonal hospital ward that may be shared with strangers.

For Miller, such endings are worth all the effort. There is no escaping death, but the way in which the final scene unfolds can be managed to bless the lives of all.

"What matters most is that our efforts do, in fact, help ease the pain of both the patients and their families," Miller said.

His mission of mercy, he believes, makes a difference.