What Dreams May Come • Hacker News Board

Re: What Dreams May Come

#231

Post by sbhere » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:21 PM UTC

300bps wrote: post #181

darthclue wrote: post #74

Jonathan here. Being woke up by my wife crying because the donations just aren't stopping is both heart-breaking and comforting. For those of you who haven't seen the 'Bucket List' post, here's what it says at the very top: As I try to deal with the reality that is my impending death I can't help but wonder how many things I might have been able to accomplish given just a little more time. When I was diagnosed, I had…

I was happy to make a donation. This hits close to home because my wife was diagnosed with Stage 0 Melanoma-in-situ when she was 35 years old. We have three kids of our own and imagining them growing up without their mother is terrifying. Fortunately, we caught it at Stage 0 though which has a 100% cure rate. So let me stand up on the soapbox for a minute: Everyone should go to a dermatologist every year for an all-o…

Yes. This. The dermatological point is very, very helpful, but the rest of it is a grand-slam home run.

The sadness of early death is something way too many people have to embrace ... but there is also an element of preparation. For all the articles about preparing for a proper launch, preparing for VC, preparing for #whatever on HN, this is an element glossed over in most every circle I have ever been in.

To everyone: Get Term Life Insurance. To everyone: Get Disability Insurance.

Do your research, and be prepared - because life is coming regardless of your level of preparation.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#232

Post by jcromartie » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:21 PM UTC

johnward wrote: post #157

maxerickson wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.statefarm.com/insurance/life/term-life (For example) The numbers are particular for a young woman in Illinois, but it won't be egregiously higher for young men.

When I got my car insurance with state farm I just put on the life insurance because I had nothing at the time. They said it would be cheap to add it now because I'm so young. I got this plan when I was 24 and it's $36 a month for 50k. WTF. I just checked out my employer and I can get 300k on my wife and myself for about $12 a month. The only thing I'm not sure of is if I can keep that plan after if I leave my job.

That's a horrible price. I'm a 30 year old male and got $500K 20 year term for $30/month.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#233

Post by frade33 » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:24 PM UTC

I wish I had enough money to help you out. All I can offer is, a sincere prayer for you and your family. May God help you and your family and ease your the trouble.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#234

Post by hfourm » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:26 PM UTC

terragold wrote: post #215

I have sympathy for this guy as a human being with cancer, especially with a family and all. But I have no sympathy for this guy as a person and for the financial choices he has made. Having 4 kids, big house and car, expensive grave, need to travel, meet celebrities screams greed, irresponsibility and entitlement. You could have not had 4 kids and had 2. You could have rented a place and bought a used car. The probl…

Look I get why people are complaining about the expensive funeral and travel expenses, but don't question his character for having 4 kids. Even more so, if you don't want to donate -- don't, no reason to go all nerd mode about it.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#235

Post by sonnyz » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:26 PM UTC

runjake wrote: post #228

sonnyz wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can make it to Florida I can take you and your family to any of the four Disney parks, at no cost to you. I can't find your email address anywhere, but if you can provide it I'll send you my info so that you can reach me if you do decide to come.

It's listed on his professional website: me@jonathandale.com https://jonathandale.com/ PS: Very cool of you.

Thanks, I'm emailing him with details now.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#236

Post by quasque » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:29 PM UTC

fasteo wrote: post #55

Blahah wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really quite a huge number of people are asking that question already. And a massively disproportionate amount of science funding goes towards cancer research. Far more people in the world die of communicable and vector-borne diseases or illness related to malnourishment. These issues get much less research attention and funding because so many people in the western world are focussed on cancer. So while my heart goe…

You are right for the wrong reason. The problem with cancer research is that we are trying to solve an unsolvable problem, wasting disproportionate amounts of money. In some sense, cancer is a symptom of a body gone havoc. Research should be targeted upstream, to really tackle the root cause. It is like trying to fix a hardware issue by patching software. Yes, you can get some results by implementing better error cor…

It's not a waste of money. Therapies for certain cancers do get developed and, in conducting such research, we learn a great deal more about cell biology.

Yes, the trigger for carcinogenic mutations is mostly environmental influence - some of which can be controlled and some of which can't - but that's no reason to cease funding research into the actual cellular mechanisms of cancer.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#237

Post by rkuykendall-com » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:30 PM UTC

jcromartie wrote: post #230

girvo wrote: post #3

I feel nothing but sympathy for Jonathan. I can barely imagine the pain he and his family would be going through :( What are the medical costs for someone with terminal cancer in the USA? I assume they're pretty astronomical, so I can understand why he'd ask for help (I'm donating myself). In terms of his house and the like, I was always led to believe that life insurance was specifically for cases like his? Is life…

I just got $500K life insurance for $30 a month. That's less than we usually spend on pizza.

How does that work? Considering you would have to live for 1,389 years for them to make a profit, do they make money on... interest?

Re: What Dreams May Come

#238

Post by jf22 » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:31 PM UTC

acheron wrote: post #155

galactus wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

in that case, it can be argued that the soviet union was not real Communism either.

No true Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge.

No True Scotsman is the new Red Herring of abused and misused logical fallacies.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#239

Post by runjake » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:34 PM UTC

theknown99 wrote: post #28

melling wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are over 7 billion people on the planet. A day doesn't go by without a story like this. We just don't hear about most of them. Someday a person like this will simply go to his doctor, get a prescription, and go on to live a normal life. Rather than dwelling on sadness, maybe we should ask if there isn't something we can do, as a group, to make that day arrive sooner. What would it take to cure, or at least trea…

Without sounding unfeeling, do we really want to add to the overcrowding and population explosion problem that much? Earth is full. Our population has doubled in the short time I've been alive. Doesn't that scare the shit out of anyone else? Imagine what would happen if you suddenly cured all forms of cancer. People would live even longer. Population would shoot up. Lack of housing, lack of jobs. More pensioners... e…

You have awful situational awareness and empathy skills. This is not the time nor place. Unfortunately, people tried to politely inform you, but you kept at your personal rant.

Many of us in the sidelines have survived cancer, have cancer, or have close family dying of cancer. There is a time and place for personal soapboxes. This is not it. Have some compassion.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#240

Post by jason_slack » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 3:34 PM UTC

jf22 wrote: post #175

scottjad wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe they don't have room for 6 visitors (for a month in one case, assuming he's not going to spend a month away from his immediate family).

Homes in America are pretty large. I can't think of a place I've lived that can't support 6 extra people, 4 of them being kids. It may not be comfortable but its probably less comfortable than not seeing your family because you can't afford a hotel.

Then you haven't lived in enough places. I can look up and down my entire street and tell you that maybe 1 house could a married couple + 6 extra people, 4 of them being kids.