A terminal illness does not ask whether life is full before it enters the room. It does not pause because someone eats well, drinks enough water, loves deeply, is loved back, has siblings who call, children who still need them, or dreams still waiting on a quiet shelf. That is part of what makes it so cruel. It can arrive in a life that looks careful, warm, responsible, and full of plans. It can arrive when a family still has birthdays on the calendar, school pickups to make,
