Art in Medicine Project from 2005 - End of Life Care - "Holding Hands"

Nicholas Wong
Class of 2006
Holding Hands
Digital Photograph

When we are born, we instinctively wrap our tiny fingers around anything that tickles our palms. We are programmed to clutch onto our caregivers and hold on for dear life. As toddlers, we hold on to supporting hands as we take our first steps. As children, we are taught to hold hands crossing streets, to hold hands when going through crowds, to hold hands so as not to get lost. As teenagers and young adults, one of the milestones of any relationship is that first moment when your hands meet, and you realize you never want to let go – there’s a connection. When we propose, we get down on one knee, hold the hand of the person we hope is our soon to be fiancé, and ask for his/her hand in marriage. After we exchange our vows, we exit the church holding hands, now as husband and wife. We become parents, and our hands are those which our newborns instinctively grasp, our toddlers hold for support, and our children hold crossing streets. At the end of our time on this earth, what could be more comforting than having our hand held as we cross from this world into the next?