Million Dollar Baby & The
Sea Inside - How Do I feel?
by John Schatzlein
I had not heard the plot of the movie Million Dollar
Baby until the buzz when Eastwood, Hillary Swank, Morgan Freeman and
the movie were nominated for Academy Awards. I went to see it knowing
that in the end Maggie (Swank) became a C1-3 quadriplegic, on a ventilator
and was assisted in dying by Frankie (Eastwood) her trainer.
While watching the movie,
I was asking myself, “Can I be honest
in writing about my feelings at the end of the movie.” I have
spent 34 years in rehabilitation and have seen many newly injured
spinal cord individuals (SCI) and many with high cervical fractures
that prevented their breathing without mechanical assistance. All
these years, many working with and serving SCI folks certainly made
me biased. I believe that with proper emergency medical care, the
proper surgical intervention and quality rehabilitation education
and management, a newly injured person and their families need time
to begin to look at the functional changes to their body, not as
a death or completely unsatisfying/ poor quality life sentence, but
rather as an event that, while catastrophic, does not have to remain
that way.
There is no doubt that things will be different, that many of them
may be difficult, however, with strong inner values and confidence,
with family friends or supports from the greater community one can
still control their life direction and relearn to enjoy the life they
still have. I can provide many examples of persons with the level of
injury that Swank played, who while still very physically limited,
had or evolved the capacity to move forward and continue to participate
in and enrich their lives and the lives of people around them. How
they got there is hard to convey but it can be done.
Certainly, I can identify
with Maggie, who felt there was no purpose for continued life.
Like her, they attempted to end their lives themselves or asked
others to assist. Some were successful. What I know of the common
denominator of these later individuals, unfortunately experienced
many of the rationales presented justifying Maggie’s choice.
Maggie came from a very difficult home environment, one that seemed
to become worse after her father was no longer in her life. It was
apparent that she made strong efforts to get away from her home environment
and try to reach her desire to be the women’s boxing champion.
She came so very close!
Maggie showed determination, a sense of ownership for her path and
a willingness to accomplish her goal with financial success to make
her life better. After the unusual cause of her neck fracture, post
round ending bell, a blindsided punch by the champion who had been
previously knocked down, the stage was dramatically set to change her
life.
What bothered me was
that the hospitalization sequences weren’t
very real; although I am certain newly injured individuals do not always
get to trauma centers and don’t always get the highest quality
of services that are available. Many also might have come from dysfunctional
families as did Maggie, with limited education, limited self expectations
and limited if any exposure to persons with disabilities. Many individuals,
with support, can choose to move forward in spite of their physical
limitations and experience all they can out of life.
In nursing home placements it is highly unlikely that warning systems
for ventilators are not activated when breathing is disrupted. Also,
other monitors should be in place so staff are alerted especially
after an individual tries to end her life on two occasions.
This film had no social worker or psychologist intimations. This would
be unlikely in any acute receiving hospital or rehabilitation- oriented
long term care facility. The speed by which her leg was lost to bed
sores was so unrealistic that is seemed comical to me.
First of all the location was unlikely to have been sustained from
her bed laying position. Second there would have been several alternative
treatment methods tried. Third, Frankie, who was the prime support
throughout the injury period, would have most likely looked for another
facility. The film spends a lot of time leading to the injury and then
makes it so dramatic and repeatedly devastating that is no hope for
a life with positive choices and rewarding experiences.
I cannot agree with the assisting of her death here. As a general
rule I am fearful that as a society we are becoming to willing to
accept uninformed individuals making their choice to end their lives.
The fear of being a burden to our spouses, kids or others are commonly
expressed by persons with disabilities or older American. Add to
these fears, society’s constant emphasis on the health care
costs and suggestions that severely disabled persons lives are costing
too much money. Devaluation of individual worth is on the rise once
again. It would appear that at least. The Academy is comfortable
with the euthanasia option.
The Sea Inside which
is based on a true story focuses on the life of Ramón Sampedro, a Spanish man paralyzed from the neck down
who pursues legal action that will allow him to end his own life. Cared
for lovingly by friends and family, Ramón has nevertheless
reached a decision, after twenty-six years confined to his bed, that
he does not want his life to continue.
While not able to view it due to its limited showing here in the Twin
Cities, my questions would be, why he was confined to his bed, where
in Spain did he live and was he provided with opportunities for stimulating,
self directed and controlled activities. This film won best foreign
film.
The Million Dollar Baby
won best actress, best supporting male actor, best director and
best picture. The Ragged Edge, Edition February 3, 2005 reports
that Eastwood states: "I never thought about the
political side of this when making the film.” There's the rub.
Eastwood and his film's liberal supporters have somehow failed to
see - and perhaps worse yet, failed to examine - why disabled people
would be hurt and offended. Is the notion of preferring to die rather
than choosing to live with a disability so commonplace it merits
no reflection by able-bodied movie directors, film critics and audiences?
Moreover, are the feelings
of real, live disabled people so irrelevant in our culture they
aren't even considered when movies such as Million Dollar Baby
and The Sea Inside are made?”
In all honesty, I could see how Maggie came to her decision at that
point in time. I could also feel the turmoil and difficulty of the
choice Frankie dealt with as he weighed her request and ultimately
gave in to her request. Still euthanasia is, it appears, being promoted
for elderly, severely disabled or incapacitated including infants or
children. More and more States are taking up the issue. We must stay
vigilant, caring, informed and on the defense. Out of control decisions
seem to be a sign of the times.
