"What a beautiful gift, life": Dignity therapy and the making of a legacy in a patient with grade 4 glioblastoma.
Francesca Sireci, Jessica Rossi, Anna Pisanello et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
A man in his mid-40s with grade 4 glioblastoma of the corpus callosum received psycho-oncological support from diagnosis, with parallel support for his caregiver. Dignity therapy was provided while his cognitive abilities were strongest, producing a book that he shared with several hundred people in his community. As callosal disconnection syndrome progressed, therapy shifted to embodied, musical, and relational approaches, sustaining psychological contact through the terminal phase. The report describes dignity therapy as feasible when introduced early and adapted as cognition declined.
What made this case unusual
The patient distributed his dignity-therapy document as a book to several hundred community members, extending the intervention into communal legacy work.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In glioblastoma with progressive cognitive decline, dignity therapy may be most feasible when offered during a period of maximal cognitive competence, with support adapted as communication changes.
Why it matters
The case illustrates that psychological support may continue beyond verbal communication through embodied, musical, and relational approaches.