round2ftw

More people on Reddit need to read this.

I'd also like to point out that statistics, while they are so valuable for what they do, are limited to what they do. They describe outcomes in populations, NOT in individuals. After seeing the psychological toll of my dads' poor prognoses for various maladies (he is an extreme outlier for survivorship for two types of terminal cancer among other things) I have to say I wish doctors would emphasize that caveat when they share their stats. He's been living like the end is just around the corner for 15 freaking years.

I wish there was a way for everyone - doctors and patients - to understand that no one can tell you when or how you are going to die. That might sound cold, but I mean it in the most compassionate way possible. We're all only mortal after all. At least my dad will have had lots of time to think about saying his goodbyes. But I don't know if that's worth the years of mental anguish he's suffered.