It's part of how we protect ourselves from facing too much too soon. But it can also get in the way. It can be a roadblock. It can get in the way of preparation. Sometimes we have to gradually pull families through that issue so that they can get to the reality of the death and what surrounds it.
Lets look at how denial applies to the families in the documentary.
Rick Rydalch, for example, often says his illness doesn't seem real to him. Rick did deny the reality of his illness. She wants Rick to come over to her point of view. But the difficulty is that it's not just denial itself. It's his disease process.