Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 127

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 127 (127/502)

127. Patient’s Rights

Three days later, Yoo Jin-cheon shared surprising news with Tae-kyung.

“The patient says the diarrhea has stopped?”

“Yes, thanks to you, Doctor.”

Tae-kyung could sense that Yoo Jin-cheon was different from a few days ago. It was heartwarming to see her holding her daughter’s hand, a daughter she often argued with.

“You’re here early today?”

“I took a day off to be with Mom.”

Kim Jin-kyung, who usually came around quitting time, was in the hospital room early in the morning.

“Mom, aren’t you happy I came early?”

“Of course, I am.”

Yoo Jin-cheon, as well as Kim Jin-kyung, looked more relaxed than before.

“It was a real relief this time.”

Tae-kyung said, recalling Yoo Jin-cheon’s sudden downturn three days ago.

“Now, you must only eat cooked food and keep up with your chemotherapy. Understand?”

“Doctor, I have something to tell you.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Doctor, I… I’m not going to continue chemotherapy.”

“…….”

Tae-kyung was momentarily speechless at the unexpected statement. She was surprised that Yoo Jin-cheon, of all people, would discontinue chemotherapy.

Saying she wouldn’t continue chemotherapy was the same as saying she would stop treatment.

Until now, she had shown such a strong will to live, so Tae-kyung never thought she would make such a statement.

After that incident, she had been receiving treatment well for the past few days, and her relationship with her family had improved, so Tae-kyung thought she would be even more proactive in her treatment.

“May I ask why you’ve made this decision?”

“It’s too expensive.”

Most chemotherapy treatments are supported by the government. However, using more effective chemotherapy drugs, especially those not covered by insurance, can be expensive, which can be a burden for patients and their families.

“I don’t want to spend my family’s money anymore. Jin-kyung needs to meet a good person and get married, and Jin-hyun needs to go to college. I feel bad spending all the money on me. Instead, I’d rather use that money to go on one last trip with my daughter.”

Unlike Yoo Jin-cheon, who spoke with a smile, Kim Jin-kyung held her mother’s hand without saying a word.

“Does your family know about this?”

“Yes, I’ve already discussed it with them.”

Yoo Jin-cheon had already made up her mind; it wasn’t a matter of whether to continue treatment or not.

“Doctor, I haven’t been on a trip alone with my daughter yet. I don’t think I’ll have another chance if not now.”

Tae-kyung could tell that Yoo Jin-cheon’s words were not a momentary impulse but the result of rational thought. Therefore, she couldn’t casually tell her to continue treatment.

She knew better than anyone from her experience that the time for terminally ill patients to prepare for farewells with their families was important to them.

“Yes, I respect your decision.”

Her inflammation levels had improved, and she no longer had a fever or diarrhea, so there was no reason to prevent Yoo Jin-cheon from being discharged.

“But are you planning to leave today?”

“Yes, I want to see the scenery outside the hospital that I’ve missed.”

“I understand. Please proceed with the discharge process. Always take care of yourself.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

As Tae-kyung left the hospital room after the conversation, Kim Jin-kyung followed her and called out.

“Doctor?”

“Yes, guardian.”

“Thank you. I think my mom has come back to life thanks to you. Thank you so much.”

“No, it’s not because of me. It’s because of you and your family who have been working hard by her side without giving up. Your family’s efforts allowed my words to reach her. Have you decided where to go for the trip?”

“I’m quitting my job soon.”

Kim Jin-kyung was also in the process of quitting her job to be with her mother.

“So, I’m planning to go to the area where my dad and Jin-hyun are. And I’m looking into hospice hospitals there.”

This was the conclusion Yoo Jin-cheon had reached after serious consideration for several days.

She didn’t know how much time she had left, but she decided to spend that time with her family.

“Okay. As you know, please take good care of her during the trip and don’t let her overexert herself.”

“Yes, I’ll take good care of Mom.”

“You’ve worked hard all this time.”

“We’re family. You’re the one who’s always worked hard.”

“I have something to give you before you leave, so come see me.”

“Yes, I will.”

A little later, Yoo Jin-cheon visited Tae-kyung’s office with her daughter.

“Doctor, the patient is here.”

“Yes, please come in.”

“Have you already finished the discharge process?”

“Yes, they did it quickly since it’s early in the morning.”

“Do you remember me saying I had something to give you?”

“Yes.”

“This is it. Make sure to take this with you.”

Kim Jin-kyung and Yoo Jin-cheon, wondering what Tae-kyung could possibly give them, were quite surprised when they received the A4 paper.

-Hospice Hospitals in OO Area.

Love & Care Hospice Hospital.

Hopeful Daybreak Hospital.

Hues of Sunset Hospital.

The printed paper contained a list of well-regarded hospice hospitals near where Yoo Jin-cheon and Kim Jin-kyung were traveling.

“How did you find all this…?”

In addition, it included nearby emergency rooms and phone numbers, as well as detailed information such as medications that caused severe side effects and painkillers that worked well, so that doctors could quickly understand Yoo Jin-cheon’s condition if she went to the emergency room.

“Doctor, when did you do all this?”

“I printed it out in a hurry, so there might be some missing items. I don’t know if it will be helpful, but please take it just in case.”

“What are you talking about? It’s a great help.”

“Jin-kyung is right. Thank you for helping us until the end. You always do your best for your patients, from the first time we met until now.”

“I’m even more grateful that you think so.”

“Thank you so much for everything.”

Yoo Jin-cheon’s expression as she conveyed her gratitude was the most comfortable Tae-kyung had ever seen.

“You’ve been through a lot. Take care of yourself on your trip and have a good time with your family. If you need any help while traveling, please contact me anytime.”

“Goodbye, Doctor.”

Yoo Jin-cheon and Kim Jin-kyung said goodbye to Tae-kyung and left the hospital.

“Shall we take the bus?”

“What bus? Mom needs to be comfortable.”

“Public transportation is convenient too. It’s expensive to take a taxi all the way home.”

“Not a taxi. Someone is picking us up.”

“Picking us up? Did Dad come?”

“Not Dad. There he is.”

Kim Jin-kyung, looking around, waved to a man waiting near the main entrance of the hospital.

“Dong-kyu?”

“Hello, ma’am. My name is Lee Dong-kyu, and I work at the same company as Jin-kyung.”

Lee Dong-kyu, who had heard about Yoo Jin-cheon’s news from Kim Jin-kyung, drove to the hospital, offering to take them home.

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

“Jin-kyung, give me your bag and sit in the back with your mother.”

Yoo Jin-cheon noticed that Lee Dong-kyu liked her daughter by looking at his expression.

“You’re a very handsome young man. But you should be at work, and you must be tired. How can I let you go through all this trouble so early in the morning?”

“It’s no trouble at all. I’m not much of a sleeper anyway. Please get in.”

“Okay, Mom, hurry up.”

“Alright. Thank you for taking us home.”

Yoo Jin-cheon looked at her daughter and Lee Dong-kyu with a pleased expression.

“You’re very welcome. Then, let’s get going.”

The car carrying the three people drove away from Our Hospital.

* * *

“Are you alright?”

Nurse Lim Jung-sook asked Tae-kyung, who was watching Yoo Jin-cheon leave from the office window.

“To be honest, when I heard her say she wanted to be discharged, I wondered for a moment if I was doing the right thing by letting her go.”

Tae-kyung turned away from the window with a face full of mixed emotions.

“But looking at Yoo Jin-cheon’s expression, I think I made the right decision.”

“You did well. By the way, Doctor, I think you should get ready soon.”

“Already? Isn’t there still some time before the team leader arrives?”

“The team leader has been waiting since earlier.”

“Director, and Nurse Lim?”

As soon as Nurse Lim Jung-sook finished speaking, Team Leader Choi appeared.

“Good morning, everyone.”

He was dressed differently than usual, as it was his day off the day before.

Team Leader Choi, who always wore a neat suit and shoes, was wearing comfortable cotton pants and sneakers, as if he were going hiking.

It was clear at a glance that his attire was not suitable for work, and he even had a camera around his neck.

“Oh, Team Leader, where did you get that camera?”

Nurse Lim Jung-sook asked, looking at the professional-grade high-end camera with curiosity.

“My younger brother’s hobby is photography. I borrowed it specifically for today.”

“That seems a bit excessive.”

“No, Nurse Lim. We need this much to take good pictures of our director’s volunteer work.”

That’s right, today was the day Tae-kyung was going on a medical volunteer trip with Team Leader Choi.

A few weeks ago, Team Leader Choi brought up the topic of medical volunteering to Tae-kyung.

‘Director, there’s a well-known medical volunteer opportunity coming up. How about going with me? It would help promote the hospital, and I think it would be a good idea.’

Few people were as sincere about promoting the hospital as Team Leader Choi. Tae-kyung was grateful for his constant concern about how to promote the hospital even a little bit, so she accepted the medical volunteer proposal.

The medical volunteer work was a regular segment on a YouTube medical channel. The YouTube channel, run by two brother doctors, invites various doctors to share medical knowledge in a way that is easy for the general public to understand.

Because the content was so well-organized, it had many subscribers and was the most popular among medical channels. Since the early days of the channel, the operators have been going on medical volunteer trips to rural areas with poor medical facilities once a month.

The names of the participating doctors and hospitals were included at the bottom of the video, which had a considerable promotional effect on people.

Of course, Tae-kyung and Our Hospital have become well-known due to Seyoung’s incident.

Team Leader Choi, who naturally did not expect this to happen, applied for the volunteer work and was selected from among many applicants.

“What are you going to do? It’s your day off, and it overlaps with the medical volunteer work.”

Nurse Lim Jung-sook felt sorry for him, as he was always at the hospital and was now going to volunteer on his rare day off.

“I deliberately took the day off on the day of the volunteer work.”

Tae-kyung matched the day of the volunteer work with her day off to avoid disrupting the hospital’s operations.

“No, but Doctor, you’re going to volunteer directly, but why are you going, Team Leader?”

Come to think of it, Tae-kyung didn’t know the exact reason why Team Leader Choi was going with her.

“Nurse Lim, I told you earlier. I’m going to take pictures of the director. I’m going to take good pictures and put them up in the hospital. It’s for promotional effect.”

“Who can stop our team leader? Anyway, have a safe trip, both of you.”

“We’ll be back.”

“Then, Doctor, you’re going straight home after the volunteer work, right?”

“Yes, I’m going home today.”

“That’s good news.”

Tae-kyung was planning to go home after the volunteer work anyway. She needed the materials at home because she had a presentation at the conference coming up.

“Nurse Lim, I’ll be back. Director, I’ll start the car, so come out when you’re ready.”

“I’ll get ready and come out.”

Tae-kyung, who had changed into comfortable clothes, asked Lee Chan-hee and Choi Mona to take care of the important patients.

“Dr. Lee, Dr. Choi, please work hard today. Don’t forget to check on the patients I told you about.”

“Don’t worry about the hospital at all and have a good trip.”

“Choi Mona?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Lee Chan-hee gets flustered when he gets excited, so keep an eye on him.”

“Yes, I’ll keep a close watch on him.”

“Ah, Doctor, don’t you trust me?”

“I’ll be back.”

Tae-kyung left with Team Leader Choi, leaving behind Lee Chan-hee, who was feeling wronged.

“The place we’re going today is a rural area, so the air will be good.”

Team Leader Choi, who was driving, had a very excited expression.

“I don’t know much about it since it’s my first time, but I think it will be more relaxed than overseas medical volunteer work. Director, please feel free to provide treatment, enjoy the scenery, and think of it as a day of healing.”

“We shouldn’t be healing when we’re going to volunteer.”

“It’s both. Haha!”

Team Leader Choi thought that medical volunteer work would be more relaxed and comfortable than hospital work. But that thought was shattered as soon as he arrived and started volunteering.