Situation: Mrs. Berk is 65 and has terminal cancer. The nurse tells you the doctor has told Mrs. Berk and her family that further treatment will not stop the cancer. You have cared for Mrs. Berk during several hospital stays and are assigned to give her care today. When you go to her room, she tells you that she will be happy if she can live just long enough to see her grandson graduate from high school in the spring. Later when you go to her room, she is crying and says she does not understand why this is happening to her.

What personal beliefs about death would help you to care for a person who is terminally ill? What beliefs would make the assignment more difficult?