ABSTRACT
As in life, so in death, spirituality cannot be separated off from all that goes to make a person the unique individual God is creating. Body, mind, and spirit are woven together intricately and inextricably. Of all the children who have stayed in Helen House in the fourteen years it has been open, 70 percent have suffered progressive intellectual impairment as a consequence of their illness. Statistics indicating longer life expectancy and a significant drop in infant mortality make no difference to the child who knows that he or she is dying or to that child’s family—except insofar as they may well feel isolated and lonely because they are different. Increasingly, enlightened and sensitive pediatricians involve their child patients in discussion and decision making where this is possible and seems appropriate. It takes courage but is almost always helpful to all concerned.
