Found out today that a math teacher I had my sophomore year of high school was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer last September. Yesterday his wife signed a DNR. He isn't yet 40 and has 4 kids, all of which are less than 7 years old and one that was born after he began chemo.
We weren't close, and I hadn't seen him in 8 years. Nonetheless, I thought of him from time to time and admired his sincerity and honesty when I was in his class. His first child was born that semester and I will never forget his excitement. He started off every day with an update on his wife and the pregnancy and some sort of story from his college days.
It's really incomprehensible.