Being a patient is not that easy, it is hard to grasp the experience that you are in a bed and in pain. The feeling that patients get when they are in bed makes them feel useless. In the film “The Doctor”, the main character, Dr. Jack MacKee experiences what it is like to be a patient rather than helping a patient. Dr. MacKee experiences this by finding out he has a tumor in his throat. Jack used to say that he goes in, cuts, and goes out during surgery with his patients. Jack’s doctor, Dr. Lesley Abbott, shows Jack that doctors should care more about their patients.
Dr. Abbott is a very busy and serious woman. She believes that doctors should do their job strictly and right. She also believes doctors should take their time to understand and focus on the patient’s diagnosis, just like Dr. MacKee’s diagnosis. Jack relationship with his wife, Anne is great although through the movie, it goes downhill. Jack and Anne did everything together, loved each other, and took care of each other like all couples should. It started going downhill when they both found out that Jack was diagnosed with a tumor in his throat.
Jack became bitter as if the tumor would never go away and there was nothing left for him. Anne, on the other hand, believe that both her and Jack could get through this, that he will get better. She was always there to help Jack, although Jack pushed her away. The situation switches, Jack needs Anne but Anne believes he does not because he did not need her before when she was there and open. Anne tells Jack before his surgery that she finds out everything from his secretary, where he is, what he does, and most importantly in a relationship, the time.
Time in a relationship is very important because without the bond together, the relationship starts to fall apart and gets hard to bring back to a whole again. Later on, Anne and Jack forgive each other and their relationship is saved. They both promised each other that they would be by one another, needed or not needed. June is a woman Jack met in Radiation therapy. She is diagnosed with stage four brain tumor. June is another character who helps Jack understand how the pain of being a patient feels and how he should not give up because a tumor hit him. June and Jack have a great friendship, she teaches him that sickness and pain should not stop you from doing what you do best or pushing people out of your life.
June made Jack realized that it is frightening to be sick and lay on the operation table under a scalpel but he should stay strong because there are people out there who need him, not just patients since he is a doctor but his family needs him the most. She also tells him it is better to tell the truth no matter how bad it is, instead of being lied to. Jack’s relationship with the doctors and nurses is portrayed as not just his co-workers but his friends too.
They are all close and they know about each other from their lives at home to what happens at work. Dr. Murry Kaplan is portrayed as Dr. Jack MacKee’s best friend, until they turn against each other because of a case Murry had gotten himself into with a patient. Murry wanted Jack to have his back but Jack felt that he should tell the truth. Nurse Nancy, finally sang to Jack as he lays on the operation table which is portrayed as Nancy telling him “It is alright, you will get through this, you will get better. ” Dr. Eli Blumfield and Jack’s relationship was not swell either.
Jack used to be impolite to Eli and make fun of him. Later on, Jack felt Eli was trustworthy and knew him better therefore, had him do his surgery instead of Dr. Abbott. Friendship is very important because friends help you get through the bad and the good when there is no one else. Friendship also relates to trust, meaning without trust there can be no friendship. The tumor changed Jack’s perspective in life because he understood how his patients felt which is being terrified.
Jack used to be the type of person who thought he had power, due to the tumor his power lessened. Jack was somewhat bitter but later on, he became loving and caring. Due to this, Jack started helping patients such as Mr. Richards and Roberto. Mr. Richards is a patient Jack met in the parking lot of the hospital trying to get in his car. Jack does him the favor of calling someone to get Mr. Richards keys out of the car. Antonio on the other hand, is a patient who has heart problems and needs a new one. As Jack replaces Antonio’s heart, he plays a song that Antonio listens to.
It changed Jack because he used to play music he would listen to, he started caring more about his patients by telling them he will do everything and getting them comfortable and calm by playing music What I learned about this movie is it is not easy being on either side, being a doctor or being a patient. Being a doctor takes a lot of responsibility. It is said that being a doctor means holding the life of an ill person in their hands. This means the doctor needs to do everything for the patient because loosing them is very difficult. Being a patient on the other hand, it’s terrifying.
Patients feel as if they are going to die which is not amusing. I believe this story relates to our lesson because relationships are important. Whether it is a relationship with your parents, your friends, your lover, it takes everything to have a great relationship. We have to make big sacrifices in order to maintain a great relationship. What you do for them, you will get in return. The biggest action in a relationship is trust. Without it, the relationship would be a mess. Jack then realizes there is more to being a doctor than just doing.