Obviously it didn't work out as we wanted, but she had real hope and prospects. A decade ago, her diagnosis was a guaranteed death sentence. It a nasty business, but at some level, oncology is a field where we stand on the shoulders of those before us. The hope that these tragedies we experience will help future victims brings some comfort personally.
Is that winning? I dont know. But the likelihood that my other parent would still be around if they got their same cancer now is already higher than it was when they passed. Nothing can bring my other parent back but we can prevent others from losing their loved ones.
I lost my father to cancer last year as well - the medical system failed him, his pain treated as exaggerated and his symptoms ignored until it was far too late.
There’s no win for our dads, but I hope the progress prevents future people like them from facing what they did.