I spent the whole last year struggling to digest the news that the seizures I had Labor Day weekend in 1998 were caused by an anaplastic glioblastoma. I fought believing that it was actually cancer until there was no other conclusion. Since then my partner Bill and I have read more than anyone wants to know about the theories on cancer, the composition of cancer, the treatments for cancer. I was quickly overwhelmed even on the lack of agreement about what cancer is. And then there is lots of literature on how to develop the right attitude, how to grip something in this world so strongly, that dying is not an option.
Some people refuse to die because they have kids to raise.
Doubtless some people live for their pets or the view or their neighbors. Perhaps they simply want to praise God in some particular way. It's easy to forget that she's 13. She's good on details and usually right. It's hard when parenting her to try to recall that she is a child and needs to be protected like a child.