Embracing time: the (dis)comfort of life after allogeneic stem cell transplants

Bacalhau, Lúcia; Pontifice Sousa, Patrícia

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/52948

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Authors

Bacalhau, Lúcia

Pontifice Sousa, Patrícia

Abstract(s)

Allogeneic Stem Cells Transplantation (ASCT) and, consequently, the chronicity associated with this life event has a growing prevalence and a significant impact on the life and daily life of each person who experiences it. The growing number of ASCT survivors highlights the need to reflect on the unique challenges they face throughout their recovery. To understand the meaning of the encounter with time in the lived experience of comfort for survivors of ASCT. Qualitative approach using van Manen's phenomenology of practice. We uncovered the phenomenon through phenomenological interviews, which integrated narratives and illustrative episodes that reflected the lived experiences of 20 survivors. Descriptions of lived experiences were collected from participants between July 2020 and May 2021. The following themes emerged from the ASCT survivor's lived experience of comfort related to time: giving time to live, time for what is important, time for the future, and living the time of day. This study reveals the importance of time for the survivor, the anguish of the time of discomfort, and creativity in the search to live the time of comfort provided by the ASCT.