This is a sad thread. The other day, we got a call from my husband's aunt to learn of the news that another aunt has stage 4 breast cancer. She is the youngest while my husband's father was the eldest in a brood of 7. That aunt is 66 years old and we consider her young because her older sisters are in their 80s already and doing fine. What's sad is that the cancer was discovered just recently when it was already in an advanced state. The prognosis is grim and they are now searching for an alternative cure. Late last year, a former colleague was diagnosed to have stage 2 colon cancer. We even had a gathering with him after his chemotherapy session and he was looking hale. But several months ago, he passed away because the cancer has spread and it hit the lungs which caused his death. I wonder how it feels when you know that death is nearing. Cancer is a killer and having it is like being given a death sentence.
@Corie Henson I find profound wisdom in Kenny Rogers' line from "The Gambler": "The best we can hope for, is to die in our sleep". Frank
I agree with Frank. It is the best any off us can hope for. I am the youngest in a family of 8. I have watched both parents die, 2 brothers die, and now am seeing a brother battle stage 4 prostate cancer. There is a lot to learn from the dieing if one is patient. One of the many things that I have learned is that humans will try thier best to keep death at bay. We will go to great lengths to stay alive.
I came from a large extended family, but most of them are gone now. All that's left on my mother's side is her and one sibling, my Godmother. The rest, for the most part, died of various types of cancer, many of them when they were around my age. Many of their children are gone, as well. We never expected cancer to take my dad, because there was no history of it in his family, and he had a heart condition. I would have to agree, dying in bed would be the best, and preferably not after an extended period of suffering.
Most of the deaths on my side of the family weren't from cancer but my husband died of reoccurring colon cancer 10 years after his initial diagnoses. He was stage 3. He had the tumor removed, had chemo and radiation and ended up with a colostomy but was good for 10 years. Second time around, the tumor was so encased in scar tissue, that it was impossible to get it all. That spread to his bladder and it was all downhill from there. There seemed to be more cancers in his family so I'm hoping my kids take after my side but they Are already being tested for colon cancer periodically.
Oh, I'm not, but I thought it was interesting. It's based on age, outlook, smoking, and body mass, so I wouldn't consider it to be accurate. Given that I've had cancer twice, I could die earlier than that. Then again, if I were to down a whole bottle of grapeseed extract in the next couple of days, I might be able to add a few years. If I wash the grapeseed extract down with blueberry juice, I could live forever. On the other hand, it's entirely possible that I'm confused about some of this.
I like this Death Clock better, as it gives me until Monday, September 27, 2027. It includes more criteria. While there may or may not be any reason to give credence to these things, I wouldn't schedule your funeral based on either of them.
Why would it tell me I died in 2010 at the age of 56 when I neither drink nor smoke drank nor smoked (I guess I better get used to that past tense)?
Apparently I died 3 years ago on June 10th. But according to the Social Security Actuarial Life Table, I'm good for 9.3 more years, which will make me 86. As for dying in my sleep, I've always assumed I would get shot in the back by a jealous husband...