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Comment by sgseliger23 | Hacker News Reader

This is my brother. I love you.

Anyone who has suffered through this disease or has a loved one that experienced it knows the feeling of helplessness.

More on Jake’s story below, and a link to the fundraiser to support him and his wife: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-fight-against-cancer-wit...

Be kind and good to your loved ones. Life is short and no one knows how much time we have left. While the FDA’s antiquated bureaucracy does no good, the true enemy is the disease itself. I believe in science and I hope that someday no one else will needlessly suffer as my brother has.

You be good. I love you.

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This is the real reminder for young people. Every single one of us is one tiny cellular mishap away from an untreatable, agonizing demise. Be KIND to one another, because when it is your turn to die, you will have wanted to have had a positive impact on the world and those around you.

Stabbing backs to maybe get a pay raise will mean nothing to you or your family. It's just one more person who won't honor your temporary existence.

Be KIND.

Memento mori

The surname is very familiar. I checked and Jake is in fact a long-standing member of this community as jseliger [1].

I’m sorry for the very difficult times your brother is going through. I hope and pray that his situation improves.

1: https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=jseliger

more specifically, this topic has been brought here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36393383

I was a student of your brother's at the University of Arizona for a semester. It was over a decade ago at this point, but I think it was English 109. It's hard to explain how humbling it felt to chat with him one-on-one. He struck me as a genuine, intelligent, and friendly guy who was worth listening to.

This is such terrible news and I wish Jake and yourself the best.

What a genuine, intelligent, and friendly way to have remembered such a fella worth listening to.

>We get wise too late

>and old too soon.

>—Danish proverb

If possible put your email, even a throwaway, in your profile, and I will send a message.

Sure thing, I updated my profile with my real email. I certainly don't expect you to remember me, but you might remember my buddy Atish, and I hope you know that you left a massive impression on both him and me. As kids fresh out of high school, you were (and frankly, you still are) the guy we looked up to. Thanks for being you.

Email not appearing.

Whoops. Helps when one reads the instructions. It should be there now.

brandonmittman@gmail.com in case I messed it up in some other way.

Thank you for the kind note. I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.

"We need to have a much stronger “right to try” presumption"

Quite.

I'm now four years older than my mother was when she passed away after two really exciting years. I can't remember the exact description of the killer but "squamous" was involved. Radio, chemo, surgery bordering on butchery etc. Bout one seemed to be in remission and all clear sounded only to be rescinded a few months later, second run was a negative outcome. Faith healer for a laugh "but you never know" - mum wasn't daft but when you are out of reasonable options, you might as well invent a few more!

However, there is still hope whilst breathe still flows and there is absolutely nothing wrong with hoping for a miracle. They do sometimes happen. Keep fighting and kicking and being a pain and only give up when it is obviously hopeless.

Love you too. Take care.

Lost my brother to a carcinoma, a disease that most likely will be successfully treated, cured and even prevented in my lifetime. I feel for your brother but also for you.

Sorry for your loss. I hope you’ve found some peace.

While I can't comment on this particular case, I sincerely recommend Americans to explore treatment options for treatable diseases in other countries - like India, South Korea, Cuba (?) etc. - that have excellent doctors and decent healthcare infrastructure. They may charge foreigners a bit more than the locals, but you will get better service that is unlikely to bankrupt you.

(Not sure about Cuba's current healthcare infrastructure).

Thank you and love you too.

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