A few days ago during chemo, the man sitting next to me started muttering to himself, so I said, "Bad day?"
"They all are. I don't know why this should take so long. I've been sitting here waiting for them to even start for half an hour."
"Well, they have to check your blood and make up the infusion and some times it takes a while."
He paid no attention, just went on, "Three days a week -- three -- I have to have dialysis and now I have to have this, that's four days gone every week."
"That's rough. What do you do to pass the time?"
"Nothing.... I watch T.V. Nothing."

I wondered, almost didn't ask, then figured why not? And asked, "Is it worth it?"
A pause, and then he said, "No." Another pause, and then he said, "I'm only fifty-five years old. I could live another thirty years. Thirty years like this, dialysis and chemo every week. No, it isn't worth it."

My first thought was "I'll trade you, right across the board. Your thirty years, even with dialysis and chemo for my uncertain shorter time."

But then I thought, "No. Not if it meant having to live in your skin," so I just said, "Hang in there. You never know what they'll discover soon."