It also plunges many people deeper into choices in complementary therapies. And it raises many of the issues of pain control and dying. Dying We all die. Whether or not we die of cancer, we all face the prospect of death someday. The antipodes that many people experience in facing death are the wish to fight intensively for life and the wish to achieve a peaceful acceptance of death.
Many people switch back and forth between the two.
I do not know the answer to that question. I do not think anyone can know that unless he actually faces the experience of cancer. I would be giving careful thought to what had meaning for me now - just what in my life I wanted to let go of and what I wanted to keep. I would give careful thought to choosing a mainstream physician. I would be looking less for someone with wonderful empathic skill than for someone who had a reputation for basic kindness who would also be willing to take the time I needed to answer my questions.