(calm foreboding music) (foreboding music increase in tempo) (foreboding music continues) (calm foreboding music) (calm bright music) - [Wil] The world floods in on all of us.

The world can be kind and it can be cruel.

It couldn't give us good reason to hope.

Good reason to give up all hope.

In our lives in the world, the temptation is always to go where the world takes us, to drift with whatever current happens to be running strongest.

Instead of being whole, most of the time we're in pieces, and we see the world in pieces, full of darkness at one moment, full of light the next.

We see another way of being human which is the way of wholeness.

No matter how much the world shatters us to pieces, we carry inside us a vision of wholeness that we sense is our true home and that beckons to us.

- [Lisa] For over 40 years, Wil Alexander has been working with medical professionals to look beyond numbers and diseases and to incorporate mental and spiritual health into their care.

(belt buckle clinks) - [Will] My mother and her family came across from Missouri, all that they were and all that they had in a box car and landed in Boulder, Colorado.

My mother had dropped out of school.

At age 17, she had met my father.

When he heard that she was actually pregnant with me, he left and took off to join the army.

The day I was born was in the morning and as soon as she could do it, she'd either arranged it before or was ready, and had given me away to a doctor and his wife, also a physician.

So as far as she was concerned, she had done her motherly thing.

My grandmother who happened to work in the same hospital came to work and when she heard that, she was furious.

So she said, "You can't have him, he's mine."

I always tell people, "She regretted that when I got to be 13."

(chuckles) I think there was a part of my little, bitty mind that felt I was out there in the universe alone.

This is what I call the cell.

One of the monks wanted to know how he could be more spiritual.

And his teacher-director said, "Go into your cell.

It will teach you all you need to know."

So I put that on there.

Meaning if you go in and you usually are quiet, and maybe God has a chance to listen.

And of course, life has to be in its, there.

I think I was just a little over two when I contracted pneumonia.

And the doctor said there was no hope for me that it had gotten too deep in my understructures.

My grandma, she went upstairs to get a fan to make my passing easier.

On the way up, she said to God, "If you'll save his life, I'll dedicate him to be a medical missionary."

(calm piano music) (plastic bag crinkles) - [Lisa] At age 93, Wil is still working.

He teaches doctors and medical students how to understand their patients by providing whole-person care.

- I'm old, growing more feeble, thinking a lot about dying and death, but challenged and drawn to the thing that brought me here in the first place to find a way of being God's healing servant.

I want to listen to the world and its people, and God in ways that reach beyond sight, sound, anything that uses all of my senses.

And then all of my spiritual capacities to sort of live to the full.

I actually thought of what my grandma said, "I've dedicated you to be a medical missionary."

And in my fun way, I thought, "I can be a missionary to the medical."

And so, from the very first interview with a patient, from that moment on, I knew what I'd been called to do.

And that is to listen to patients.

What is going on in that whole person, their whole being that is physical, that is mental, that is relational, that is spiritual.

And when they can see that, then there's the possibility for the change in the healer.

And that call became stronger and stronger, and stronger.

- He injured his leg, about 37 years ago, keeps getting infected, and he's possibly gonna have an amputation in the future.

He actually wants to have it, so that he can keep from coming back to have surgeries on his leg.

- The services we've been dealing with and for us, have been trying to see what we can do to save his leg, but he doesn't want that.

- You didn't tell me you were good-looking.

(doctor laughing) Okay, tell me about this leg.

- It started from the accident that happened to me, man, thirty-eight, thirty-seven years ago.

- Were you just born then?

- No, no.

I'm 59.

- Nah, you're lying.

- I do it pretty good though.

- I know.

- Tell me about the accident.

- I was crushed in the car and left for dead.

The ankle down there just fused.

It doesn't move.

It haven't moved in maybe 15 years.

- So you're famous for that needs this leg?

- What am I famous for that needs this leg?

Oh man, I love feet-foaming cars, man.

- [Doctor] That's right.

- I love foaming the cars.

That's my, I don't drink or smoke, but I love foaming cars.

- And you live with this?

- [Wife] I don't know why.

(doctors laughing) I don't know why - [Wil] I do.

He's pretty special to me.

- He really is.

High school sweetheart.

- [Doctors] Aw.

- Across the crowded classroom, you spotted him and you thought?

- I thought this is it.

My mom thought that is not it.

(doctors laughing) (wife laughing) - I've been trying to hold onto this leg for, like I said, way back then.

It doesn't move.

It doesn't work.

- You know what it's like for these characters to have to give in to this?

- I told this gentleman right here, I said, "If he's trying to get an A plus from me-" - [Wil] He didn't get?

- "to save that, it's not gonna work."

I understand what he's doing.

I really can, and when I talked to him, I said, "Man, I really truly understand what you're doing and don't get me wrong, but I've already crossed the line."

This is a cavity down there that's going to get past here, and it's gonna do something for me and my future.

And it's gonna take away my time from her.

- [Wil] Wow.

What a guy, huh?

What are we gonna do with this thing?

- Well, we gonna get rid it, and fix it, and then I'm gonna get one of them jackets y'all got.

(doctors and patient laugh) - Well, let's keep track of where it is, so in the resurrection- (patient and wife laugh) you know?

- Yes, sir.

Thank you.

- Bless you, man.

- Yes, sir.

- People have a longing for meaning and purpose in life, and that in turn affects their body and their mind.

And so, whole-person care is the interweave of all of those parts of human being.

So what'd you learn?

- Put the patient first.

What you see in front of you isn't necessarily a textbook and isn't necessarily going to obey what you learned in the textbook.

- [Wil] Yeah.

- He wanted us to not just take care of his leg, but take care of the person that was attached to the leg.

- You may not have that opportunity to come back and connect with that patient in that way, and that's happened to me a lot.

I think about it later and next day, the patient went to the ICU or the patient, you know, went home- - [Wil] Or died.

- or died, and guy's like, man, I should have taken those few extra minutes to do it because now I don't have the chance to do it anymore.

- And it's there more than you know, the art of this thing is within a little space of time.

It can be just a sentence, just a word, makes a whole difference.

(calm bright music) - He came in the midsummer of '73.

He asked me, he says, "Harvey, can I make rounds with you?"

"Sure."

I liked Wil, I don't mind an audience.

And so, we were gonna do whatever whole-person care was.

We had this lady admitted to the service who had had intractable asthma.

She had had two cardiopulmonary arrests, and she was just wheezing away.

So we looked at each other, our victim had arrived.

We were gonna do whole-person care act, whatever that was on this poor lady.

We're doing nonsense talk, gibberish.

It's not going anywhere.

So finally, I say, not knowing what else to say or do, "Why do you have asthma?"

And instantaneous, her answer was, this 37-year-old lady, "I had an abortion when I was 19."

I am convinced to this day that the etiology, that is the basic cause of her asthma, was guilt.

And if I look at the pharmacopeia for guilt and say, "What medication treats guilt?"

It's empty.

By five o'clock, the woman had stopped wheezing.

She did not wheeze again for the three days that she was here.

We stopped her asthma medication, sent her home on decreasing doses of Prednisone.

Well, this was astonishing, so we decided we need to talk to more patients.

I said, "Look, Wil and I have worked out these questions.

Let's go up on the hospital."

No permission.

We went to the hospital (calm bright music) - When this idea came up of having a non-physician go on rounds, listen to the patient's story, hear this sort of stuff, particularly for a preacher to do that, there was considerable questions raised.

And is this right?

Is it ethical?

Will the patients appreciate it?

Will they not?

All those kind of things came up.

- I think he looked kind of crazy at the beginning because you know, you have this fast-moving machine of healthcare.

That was a weird thing at that time.

He just never budged.

That story was important.

It was going to be heard and he was going to continue standing by the bedside until it was heard.

It was an amazing tenacity that he showed in those early years, an amazing amount of courage.

- The struggle between medicine and ministry that somehow comes down through the years, the minister and the doctor should work together.

- He was many years ahead of his time believing that the culture should go that direction, and that without that, there was no meaning in medicine.

- One year ago, he was found to have liver disease.

We don't have any diagnosis on him, and it has gone worse.

He has cirrhosis.

Now, he has all the complication related to that.

Now, his kidneys are not working.

We see a lot of fear, you know, that he's getting worse in the meantime when we are doing all these other things for him.

(doctors chatting) - Okay, let's straighten this out a little bit.

There we go.

That'll be good.

- [Doctor] Hello.

- [Patient] Hello.

- [Wil] Hello, my friend.

- [Patient] How are you?

- When you're not in pain, you can hold a cover over a lot.

You can pretend a lot, and you can act like you're happy.

But when you feel pain, the cover comes off.

You can't hold up that facade anymore.

You can't help yourself.

- Going through severe illness with an uncertain outcome raises bigger questions.

The kind of questions that you often shovel aside that you try to ignore and to stay away from when you just do your normal life.

- [Wil] Have you ever had to face your own death before?

(solemn piano music) I mean we're all gonna die, but we don't count on it.

- Everyone, everyone's gonna die- - [Wil] Yeah.

- eventually.

- [Wil] But have you ever faced your own mortality, your own death before?

(solemn piano music) - I have never been like that before, but now I know what it is - Yeah.

Are you scared?

- I am.

- [Wil] Afraid you'd die?

- But I have to be strong anyway.

- [Wil] You bet.

How long have you and God been friends?

- Oh, my gosh.

Forty years, I know Him.

- [Wil] Forty?

That's a beautiful walk.

- It's a good relationship.

- [Wil] Yeah.

- Yup.

- [Wil] Does that help the fear?

- That help a lot.

- You see, when you come here, we don't know your story, but we do know that you don't come here with just parts of your body not working.

You have a beautiful life you've lived.

If we can find out what gives you the most strength, then we can help you keep in touch with that.

Can I pray with you?

- Yup.

- [Wil] This is the day in a man's life, Lord.

You've known him since he was a little guy, and you've watched him grow up in the middle of his family and right now, there's a lot of fear and yet, there's a lot of hope.

Help us to help him to be hopeful.

Amen.

- Thank you.

(poignant music) (poignant music continues) - I survived.

- (laughing) What are you meaning?

- I think probably, these days in my own journey because when you mentioned hemoglobin, I immediately thought of mine, not his.

My hemoglobin is down to 8.9, and I had a big test yesterday and still don't know what it is.

But I've never faced my own mortality the way I have the last few days, so I'm copacetic with him.

- [Dr. Carla] Okay.

- Yeah.

(solemn piano music) My Lord, I just need one spot, and you got it right there.

Thank you.

- [Doctor] Hi.

(doctors greeting) - [Wil] Welcome.

Okay, Doctor Gober, are we ready?

(doctors chatting) So three boys?

- Three boys.

- I understand one of 'em is thinking a little about medicine?

- He is in currently in the nursing program.

- Is he your ticket to retirement?

- I hope so.

(doctors laughing) I hope I get outta here enough in time to retire, you know?

(chuckles) - [Wil] We're working on it.

- [Patient] Yeah.

- [Wil] What's going on in your body?

- I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, colon cancer.

The doctor's, three doctors told my wife- - It's okay.

- "Let him die."

- Told her to let you die?

Not yet.

- Send me to the hospital and let me die, and I refused.

- [Wil] Absolutely.

- [Patient] I know.

- [Wil] What a journey.

- [Patient] It's been a journey, yes.

- Were you surprised when you were diagnosed?

- Yes.

- 'Cause you've been living reasonable?

- Yes.

- No heavies?

- No.

I thought I had a gallbladder attack is what I had.

- Yeah, that's what it felt like.

- [Wife] That's what it felt like.

- And you know him pretty well.

- [Wife] Oh, yes.

Twenty-six years of marriage.

I think I know him very well.

(medical staff laughing) - What we're trying to learn is when a symptom begins, like wherever you are feeling different, a story begins.

Do you remember how you were told that it was cancer?

(patient laughing) Was it over the phone?

- You know, frankly, it was over the phone, and I was at work, and I worked with nothing but men in a shop.

And I was doing everything I could to get out of my office and away from these people.

So when this lady told me, I felt, I work in Anaheim, so I had to drive home with all this on my mind, and I just lost it.

- Maybe your thoughts on the way home?

- Why me?

- [Wil] So how does the future look?

- [Patient] The future looks good.

- [Wil] Yes.

- Because I've proven that I can beat this cancer.

- Yes.

- You're a blessed man.

- Thank you.

- I want you to see you get outta here.

You're a good teacher to us.

- All right.

Thank you for talking with me.

(solemn music) (solemn music continues) - How are you all feeling after the interview?

- Oftentimes, we kind of forget what it's like to be the patient, and you know, to us it's kinda like an everyday thing.

You know, seeing patients that are really sick, giving out diagnosis.

But yeah, I guess I'm just still in shock from his story.

Sometimes we wanna try to not let it get to us.

- [Wil] And part of it is?

- I felt this desperate sort of feeling, like I'm a first year student, so I spend time reading and studying, and I'm not in the hospital seeing that how bad this stuff actually is.

I've seen it off and on through my life, but I'm not exposed all the time like a lot of you are.

And so, just being put in the situation, it's like, wow, this is pretty desperate, yet what you've kept digging at, why is he so hopeful and how?

- But I am concerned since he does have stage four colon cancer, that which very few people ultimately survive.

- [Wil] But some do.

- This is killer.

He may not understand that part.

- [Wil] But did I give him a false hope?

It made me nervous to do it, but I thought.

- [Doctor] It's better to live, if they have short life, maybe it's better not to be miserable.

- Did you watch the wife?

She knows he's dying.

So I hear some of you feeling that he's in denial, and she's in realism.

Is he in denial?

- I think so 'cause I've, I've beaten this already.

- I wouldn't be too anxious to go try to snatch his optimism away from him at all.

We know that people who have hope usually do clinically better.

- [Doctor] That's right.

- That's why I think whatever conduit he have, but if you only have that one visit, like I won't see this guy probably ever again.

But if he can feel when he's hurting underneath, I'm not alone.

I was sensing with the attending girl that she was feeling like maybe I gave the patient false hope.

No, I was trying to buttress the patient's hope that they brought.

The last thing that dies is hope.

(solemn music) (solemn music continues) To be human, is to be wounded.

Nature and history so easily have their way with us, bruising our lives with tragedy.

Society and culture exact their price, sorting us into categories that construct potential and damage self-worth.

But there is another possibility that our heart, wounded by the boundlessness of human agony, grows tender and alert to the wounds of others.

Then our wounds become portals of vulnerability through which the pain of others can enter our lives, awakening us to a more generous sense of our common humanity.

And discovering in turn in Him, refuge, consolation, healing.

(solemn music) (solemn music continues) (water flowing) (water burbling) (water burbling) (solemn music continues) (birds chirping) - Wil intuitively does this.

He's a gentle guy.

His appearance makes it intuitively easy for him to connect like this.

That's not true for many of the rest of us.

- Here's a question I have for you all.

How can you bring that to?

Wil's concepts are not only being integrated into healthcare settings, it's also being taught to the next generation of medical professionals.

When you experience connection with another person, the rest of this model, if it doesn't happen, you'll still have a successful encounter.

- We're trying to understand how to take better care of you.

- [Lisa] As more and more stories are heard, more patients are finding meaning and healing by having physicians simply listen to their patient's personal stories.

At a medical conference dedicated to this work, the story comes full circle.

- We have a final story for you.

This one is very near and dear to my heart.

And we met with a patient in the hospital, and we're going to let you meet him.

(audience applauding) - What have you got over here?

Look at that.

(audience applauding) How was it like putting it on the first time?

- First morning, I got up, I forgot I lay it cook and took it off, and I fell out the bed.

(audience laughing) But after that, I'm good to go.

This is better than the other one.

I haven't looked back.

I'm back at work.

- You know what's happened because of that story?

Those students and what it meant to their practice and what it means to young students coming along, and what it means to older doctors, it just doesn't stop.

If you can get people thinking about their illness and not their disease, you're partway home.

The beautiful picture of that is Mr. Odom.

And for him at the beginning, it had no meaning.

And helping me off the platform at the end, that was priceless.

(audience applauding) That's the meaning of illness.

- You know, you should write a book.

- I felt like somebody listened to me.

I felt like somebody for the first time, somebody really listened to me.

- Goodnight.

- Hi.

Hi, Herb!

- Thank you so much.

- The future of healthcare in the United States is not high-tech.

There will be high-tech that will become higher tech.

It's too expensive.

The future of healthcare in the United States are people caring for people.

(calm guitar strumming) (calm guitar music continues) (calm guitar music continues) (calm guitar music continues) (calm guitar music continues) (calm guitar music continues) (calm guitar music fades) - [Presenter] This program was made possible by Ed and Ann Zinke, Versacare, George and Joan Harding.