The first thought is death: a qualitative study of the presence of death in the everyday lives of people with cancer

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore how people with cancer and their loved ones process the presence of death in their everyday lives. The ‘presence of death’ is understood here as a phenomenon where the prospect of death becomes a solid part of daily flow after a cancer diagnosis, even when there is no concrete information about the prognosis. The data consist of writings by 37 Finnish participants and their loved ones. The data were gathered through a public call for writings on ‘everyday life with breast and prostate cancer’. Cancer and death are approached from a sociocultural perspective, and the analysis focuses on death-related language and activities in the writings. The concept of frame was used as a theoretical and methodological tool. Four categories for framing the presence of death in everyday life were identified: social interactions in the presence of death, creation of a personal relationship with death, pragmatic acts and the reality of death. Each frame consisted of certain activities relating to social relationships, interactions and information, personal discussions considering cancer, the meaning of ordinary chores and the reality of death. The results reveal how people construct their own relationship with death through frames that help them organize the cancer experience and allow them to control the presence of death in everyday life. The findings are discussed in the context of practical health social work.