Then she looked at me.
“Do you think people can be happy even when they know something terrible is coming?”
I considered the question before answering.
“I think happiness can still exist, even when life is unfair.”
She nodded slowly.
“That’s a very doctor answer.”
“Would you prefer a different one?”
“No. I think I’ll keep that one.”
Neither of us knew that a few weeks later, she would ask me to do something that would force me to question every part of my answer.
The Conversation I Should Never Have Agreed To
The attending physician called Alicia’s family into a consultation room on a Tuesday morning.
I was present when he explained that the available treatments were no longer controlling the disease. Her condition was deteriorating, and based on the information available, her remaining time might be measured in days.
There were no promises.
No new treatment that could reasonably reverse what was happening.
