I have given eulogies before. I have focused on only things I wanted to remember and perhaps things I thought others would want to remember--not that there's anything majorly wrong with that. It is not easy to devise guidelines about what should and should not be communicated. But, I do think it is a disservice to someone's life with a disease to be summarized with a single word or short phrase--ESPECIALLY if that time frame is many years.
In summary, I see the issues as:
- Individuals summarizing another person's experience with a disease or condition using single words or short phrases such as "battle" or "long fight"
- Focusing only on periods of their life prior to to their diagnosis
- The ignoring of accomplishments, day-to-day realities of life, significant persons, significant places, etc. after their diagnosis