I was at his wife’s funeral when she died 3 years ago. I recall when he shared the news of her breast cancer recurrence with me and how devastating this was on the entire family. He was a smoker, and he started smoking more often after her death. Frequently, I would see him with a cigarette in his hand. We have had our share of exchanges with me preaching him to stop smoking, because tobacco could kill you, and with him smiling back confused as to why I kept trying to offer unsolicited advice that he would never follow.

Original article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, April 2012

Original article published in the JAMA Network, July 2020

Original article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, June 2021