Cancer, Suicide, and Holocaust Survivors (Research, Video 2:17)

Question: Do you think a higher number of older adult Holocaust survivors who have cancer would commit suicide more than their counterparts who have cancer and are not Holocaust survivors? After all, many older adults were children when they witnessed and experienced the atrocities related to this part of history.

It’s easy to assume that Holocaust survivors with cancer would have more suicides. But a study of these older adult cancer patients indicates otherwise. The incidence of suicides were not significantly different between the Holocaust exposed and nonexposed groups. Past exposure to maximum adversity did not increase the suicide risk among persons with cancer.

These Holocaust cancer-suicide research results were surprising to me in a good way. Erika is my Jewish friend who was a child during the Holocaust. Her firsthand stories give history a name and face that validate the plight of those murdered during that horrific period. She attributes her current existence to a sympathetic family that hid her in their home from Nazi soldiers. Like many survivors who are older adults now, Erika continues to cope with the trauma of her childhood experiences. 

This video titled Holocaust Survivor Testimony: Menachem Frenkel showcases another Jewish child who survived the Holocaust due to the extraordinary goodwill of others who risked their own lives. Rescue attempts were made by three organizations -- the OSE (Children's Aid Society), Amitie Chretienne, and the Jewish Underground in Lyons -- to remove some 100 Jewish children from a concentration camp. Menachem and his sister were among those rescued one night. They escaped being among the 1.5 million Holocaust victims under the age of twelve. 

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Death Rattle Distress, Drug Treatment (Research, Video .43)

The gurgling death rattle sounds of dying patients attracts a lot of attention. Onlookers who witness it often agonize over the noisy breathing of loved ones during their final phase of life. Many have expressed an interest in the death rattle to me. This is how Wikipedia defines it:

“A death rattle is the sound produced by someone who is near death when saliva accumulates in the throat. Those who are dying may lose their ability to swallow, resulting in such an accumulation. Usually, two or three days earlier the symptoms of death can be observed as saliva accumulates in the throat, making it very difficult to take even a spoonful of water. Related symptoms can include shortness of breath and rapid chest movement.”

By the time dying people begin the death rattle experience, their consciousness is low. Although it may appear that they are actively choking, there seems to be a general assumption that these patients are not in any pain.

Drug Treatment Research Concerns:

Patients experiencing the death rattle are often treated with drugs. Some say the drugs are given to the patients more to relieve loved ones witnessing the experience which they may perceive as very distressful for themselves and patients. Unfortunately, some of the drugs involved have negative side effects. Lately, research questions the purpose of using drugs at all for death rattles and encourages more reassuring education for loved ones about the experience so they won’t be so worried.

This video features death rattle sounds from the mouth of a dying patient.

Visit here to read 2015 research on the death rattle.

Visit here to read over 40 comments from readers about the death rattle.

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.

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