NN#1 - Me Before You

Me Before You

The movie (and book) Me Before You is about a young man who was involved in a motorcycle accident and suffered from a complete spinal cord injury which paralyzed him from the neck down. Before the accident he was full of life and adventure and afterward he no longer saw the need for living. Because of the accident and his impaired way of living, Will Traynor also suffered from depression which had led him to attempted suicide once before. After many conversations and arguments with his parents, doctors, and therapists, he gave his life a limit of 6 more months before he was to admit himself into an assisted suicide facility in Switzerland. His parents hired a female "caregiver", Louisa Clark, in hopes to lift Will's spirits and change his mind about suicide. 

I had previously read this book and watched this movie before entering OT school, with only a basic understanding of the related topic. For the purpose of this assignment, and with a greater knowledge of the injury, I re-watched the movie over the weekend. The first time watching the movie, I only considered and felt empathy toward Will's role in the movie. But watching it again, and thinking like an OT, I considered Louisa's role in the movie as well. At first she minded her own business and was only doing the job to help her family with financial struggles. As time passed she realized that Will's quality of life was poor and as his "caregiver" she should (and could) make his life better and potentially change his mind about assisted suicide. Though not directly, I noticed that Louisa's way of thinking was the same as an Occupational Therapists would be when treating a client with a spinal cord injury. Because of doctors orders, and his nurse's help, Louisa knew there was little she could do to help him regain function in his limbs so instead she used the resources Will had to get him back doing the things he wanted and used to do. 

Even though the movie didn't have a happy ideal ending, some progress was in made in Will Traynor's life.  Something I gained from re-watching the movie is that as OT's, some of our clients may or may not want us being involved in their injury, and after a certain amount of time, they may not want to be involved with their own injury anymore. Because of the high risk of other mental disorders, such as depression, forming after traumatic injuries I feel as if it is important for meaningful treatment begin right after an injury. Because of the movie's small time frame we don't know the extent of his treatment, but Will Traynor could have been one of those clients who didn't have a meaningful experience with his therapist(s). Because of Louisa's OT way of thinking, if she had been introduced in his life two years before, instead of just 6 months, there is a possibility that Will's quality of life could have done a 360 rather than just a 180. 

As OT's we shouldn't just be involved with our clients because that is what we're getting paid for but because we want our clients to regain a meaningful life and we want them happy. Another lesson learned from this movie is that we may be their only hope. Others may have given up on them already but we shouldn't. 

Book: 

Moyes, J. (2012). Me Before You. (Kindle Edition). New York, N.Y.: Pamela Dorman Books/Viking. 

Movie:

Rosenfelt, K., Owen, A. (Producers), & Sharrock, T (Director). (June 3, 2016). Me before you [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Warner Bros. Pictures.