The Actual Experiences of the Living World among Cancer Patients

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the meanings and nature of living in the world among cancer patients. The present study adopted a hermeneutic phenomenological method which was developed by van Manen. Method: The participants for this study were 5 men and 6 women, who were over the age of 20 with admission or a follow up visit in the medical or surgical department. Data were collected by using in-depth interviews and observations from February to September, 2007. The contents of the interviews were tape-recorded with the consent of the subject. Result: The essential themes that fit into the context of the 4 existential grounds of body, time, space and other people were: a body that cannot be restored, a body that endures and lives, waiting in uncertainty, a valued calculation for the living day, being in a world of invisible power, reestablishing relationships, and reflection on his or her life. Conclusion: These findings revealed that living in the world is affected to varying degrees by the cancer. It is important for nurses to identify and take care of disabili-ties and to support the reorientation in the disintegrated life situation. The result of this study can give nurses some insigh