Every week, New York Times editor Dana Jennings writes about his own aggressive case of prostate cancer. In today's Science Times, he writes how illness has created an unusual bond with his 19-year-old son.
Owen's liver failed two springs ago, suddenly and for no apparent reason. He has since mostly recovered and is in his sophomore year at Dartmouth College. But he's still a patient, too. We look at each other these days, and we are pierced by our mutual sense of mortality. Young men expect their fathers to live forever. And fathers never expect to outlive their sons. But Owen and I both understand now that there are no sure bets in this life.
In a separate story, Owen Jennings also shares his insights about illness.
The only thing worse than being sick is having everyone know you are sick. The only thing worse than almost dying is having everyone know you almost died. My tug-of-war with mortality did not make me some sort of expert on the fragility of life. I don't have any shrewd insight to offer; no profound advice. What my liver disease has taught me is straightforward and practical: being sick does not mean surrendering to all of the connotations and denotations that come with being a "sick person."
To hear more, read "A Bond Shaped by Illness, but Not Defined by It," by Dana Jennings. And Owen Jennings shares his thoughts in "I Have Liver Disease, but It Doesn't Have Me."
