TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Papadatou, Danai
T1  -  Weaving meaningful pathways through the end of a child’s life
PY  -  2021
Y1  -  2021-01-01
DO  -  10.1726/3561.35408
JO  -  Rivista Italiana di Cure Palliative
JA  -  Riv It Cure Palliative
VL  -  23
IS  -  1
SP  -  27
EP  -  35
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2532-9790
Y2  -  2026/04/14
UR  -  http://dx.doi.org/10.1726/3561.35408
N2  -  Summary. Weaving is a process through which we assemble and interlace different threads into a fabric. The color and quality of the threads, and the process by which they are inter-woven, affect the unique tapestry that emerges among endless possible options. In pediatric palliative care, our role is to help children and families to weave a meaningful pathway to the border of life, by embracing both their suffering and vitality at distinct turning points in their trajectory: at diagnosis, when the illness is under control and families seek to establish of a new sense of normalcy, when the illness deteriorates, and finally when the child is dying. Weaving a pathway through each of these turning points requires a deep understanding of the challenges involved. The purpose of this article is to describe the challenges that families experience at two critical periods: (a) the period of “liminality” when the child is neither well-enough nor dying, and (b) the period of “separation” when the child’s death is impending. Examples are offered to illustrate how children and parents communicate their experiences, concerns, and decisions when death becomes probable or certain. Special emphasis is given to our role as “companions” and to those abilities we need to develop in order to ensure meaningful and fulfilling encounters in the face of death.
ER  -