title: I'm Still Me: Inspiration and Instruction from Individuals with Brain Cancer.
abstract: Individuals with brain cancer face many challenges, including threats to cognition, personality, and sensory and motor functioning. These can alter one's sense of identity and result in despair. Chaplain-led spiritual interviews were conducted with 19 patients with brain cancer as part of a larger spiritual legacy intervention called "Hear My Voice." The majority was female (58%), married (68%) and had aggressive/advanced tumors (63%). Participants were 22-68 years of age and expressed the following religious affiliations: Protestant (42%), Catholic (21%), Muslim (5%), and none (32%). Framework analysis was applied to reduce and understand the interview data. Primary codes were relationships with: God or the spiritual, others, and self. Brain cancer was reported to deepen and enrich patients' commitment to these relationships. Struggle and grief were also revealed. Results suggest the continued vitality, growth and generativity of these participants and provide insight for chaplains and others on the medical team.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chaplain Services , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Piderman
authors.affiliation: b Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Jason S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Egginton
authors.affiliation: c Department of General Internal Medicine , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Cory
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ingram
authors.affiliation: d Department of Nursing Administration , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Ann Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dose
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chaplain Services , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Yoder
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chaplain Services , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lovejoy
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chaplain Services , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Spence W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chaplain Services , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hogg
authors.affiliation: e Department of Psychiatry and Psychology , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Lapid
authors.affiliation: f Department of Medical Oncology , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Aminah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jatoi
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chaplain Services , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Megan S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Remtema
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chaplain Services , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Beba S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Tata
authors.affiliation: g Department of Health Care Policy and Research , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , Minnesota , USA.
authors.forename: Carmen Radecki
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Breitkopf
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D002604:Chaplaincy Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012067:Religion; D012649:Self Concept; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: brain cancer; chaplains; legacy; qualitative research; spirituality