No joke :/. My cousin recently passed from Hodgkin's Lymphoma- they told her that the vast majority of patients have at least five years, many of whom have at least ten. That was a little over two years ago.
I buried an uncle a few months ago, he had a very nasty case of cancer and was in so much pain that we were all so grateful that at least here in NL there was the option to throw in the towel. He was a super nice man and I regret not having more contact with him in my life (my family is rather fragmented). But so much suffering is just too much to inflict on anybody. I can't seem to get through six months right now without a funeral and given the age of my extended family members that trend is likely not going to change for a long time to come.
He was a real fighter, and had several goals - to see his son turn 21, to get to some big rowing champs, etc.
He achieved some of those goals, and missed out on others. But as his disease wore on, he became so disabled and in so much pain that life was a true misery. Not just for him but for his loved ones, who were also his carers.
His last few months were not good for anyone and both my wife and I decided we would rather shuffle off than extend our lives in a similar situation.
However! Happily, she is alive, well, and living every day like it’s her last at ~31 now. Been in remission for at least 10-15 years or something, I’m not sure the exact specifics.
But what a horrible, arbitrary curse to put on a 2 year old child. Her family lived with ours for a number of years and I vividly remember her beautiful curly red hair falling out repeatedly. I also remember the “fuse import” (no clue if that’s the actual name) buried in her chest. And all of this happening while she’s learning to walk, talk, and progress through elementary school.
The past few years seem to have been really hard on people, even those without COVID. It seems the number of deaths in my circle too has accelerated -- especially among the "old but still should have some life left in 'em" cohort.
Cancer sucks.