
Paul Kalanithi, writer and neurosurgeon, dies at 37 - milkcircle
http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/03/stanford-neurosurgeon-writer-paul-kalanithi-dies-at-37.html
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djoshea
Paul was a close friend of mine, and we worked together on his research during
his neurosurgery residency at Stanford. He was a hell of a human being,
brilliant, dedicated, creative, refreshingly optimistic, and selfless. Before
he was diagnosed, I'd planned to postdoc with him when he was considering
starting a functional neurosurgery lab (actively manipulating the nervous
system to achieve therapeutic benefit, with deep brain stimulation being the
most successful example).

This piece he wrote shortly before he died is well worth your time.
[http://stanmed.stanford.edu/2015spring/before-i-
go.html](http://stanmed.stanford.edu/2015spring/before-i-go.html)

~~~
papaver
"Most ambitions are either achieved or abandoned; either way, they belong to
the past. The future, instead of the ladder toward the goals of life, flattens
out into a perpetual present. Money, status, all the vanities the preacher of
Ecclesiastes described, hold so little interest: a chasing after wind,
indeed."

indeed... so perfect... great piece, thanks for sharing...

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jacquesm
I'd love for HN to have the option to comment anonymously on moments like
these.

That's way too young.

I find as I slowly get older that more and more people that I know or know
about have passed, this is a constant reminder to me to get out of bed each
day and to use the time as good as I can, and somehow when announcements like
these hit they rub in much harder than anything else could that I'm failing in
this respect.

So young and such an impressive list of achievements, and by reading the words
linked from other comments here such a gentle and nice person.

My dad told me he measured his age by how often he had to wear black, at 37
the meaning of that had not yet set in, but every year it gets a little bit
more clear, and whenever someone younger than me dies it hits much harder than
when someone older dies.

This man had more potential for the remainder and has achieved more at 37 than
I'll probably manage in my lifetime even though I am already much older and
(probably, hopefully) still have quite a few years in front of me.

~~~
wodenokoto
You can always make a throwaway account. Why do you feel the need to comment
anonymously on this?

~~~
SeanDav
Sometimes it easier to be anonymous when trying to talk about something
extremely personal.

~~~
scott_karana
How is a one-time pseudonym any different than being anonymous?

Unless you mean a 4chan-style "Anon" checkbox for ease of use?

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etrautmann
I also shared preciously short period of time in the same lab with Paul. He
was an incredible human - unparalleled in medicine and research and a bright
and wonderful personality. An event like this puts into perspective how
important individual people are within the research community, and we'll feel
this loss for a long time.

Another piece he wrote recently which adds valuable perspective on what it's
like to be diagnosed with a serious illness:

[http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/opinion/sunday/how-long-
ha...](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/opinion/sunday/how-long-have-i-got-
left.html?_r=0)

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danso
As the OP and others have linked:
[http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/opinion/sunday/how-long-
ha...](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/opinion/sunday/how-long-have-i-got-
left.html?_r=1)

I'm not far from Dr. Kalanthi's age. I wish I could be as 1/10th as reflective
and eloquent as he is in facing an untimely death just as his hard work and
studies were paying off:

> For a few months, I’d suspected I had cancer. I had seen a lot of young
> patients with cancer. So I wasn’t taken aback. In fact, there was a certain
> relief. The next steps were clear: Prepare to die. Cry. Tell my wife that
> she should remarry, and refinance the mortgage. Write overdue letters to
> dear friends. Yes, there were lots of things I had meant to do in life, but
> sometimes this happens: Nothing could be more obvious when your day’s work
> includes treating head trauma and brain cancer.

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simonebrunozzi
I might sound silly, but the fact that I'm 37 years old caused a a strange
feeling after reading this.

~~~
ChainsawSurgery
Nothing silly about it. It's a very stark reminder that death doesn't just
take the old, or the chronically infirm, or the careless. Sometimes it's very
swift, subtle, and brutal.

We could easily be diagnosed with something tomorrow and be dead within two
years, and probably nothing can save us.

While it's true that you could easily be killed tomorrow in a car accident, I
think many of us really believe that we have more agency when it comes to
accidental death. That we're the savvy pedestrian, the defensive driver who
won't be a statistic. We're smart and quick enough to make the right decision
when it comes to car accidents.

But things like aggressive lung cancer? You're probably a goner, and no amount
of intelligence or quick reaction can save you. And we know that.

It's a very disempowering feeling.

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staunch
> _Paul Kalanithi said his daughter, Cady, filled him with "a joy unknown to
> me in all my prior years." He passed away on March 9._

I hope his daughter comes to understand how much comfort it must have brought
him to have known her.

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dakrisht
I remember reading Paul's original piece in the NY Times last year; a touching
piece on how at any given moment, everything can fall apart. A few weeks ago,
his latest beautifully written piece in Stanford Medicine Magazine came out
along with a moving video about his painful journey with this cancer. He had
setbacks during his latest round of chemo but he pulled through and it seemed
that things were at the very least, maintainable especially given the severity
of this cancer.

It was indeed a rude awakening a few days ago to find out via Twitter how Dr.
Kalanithi had passed away. It seemed sudden, in your face, powerful, painful
and relentless especially related to a man I have never met.

It shows you that disease, life, and ultimately death does not discriminate
against anyone and can hit at anytime - even those who work day in and day out
to heel others. It shows how precious, fragile and relentless life truly is,
how lucky we are to be here, commenting on the latest Macbook or tinkering
away at our projects. The world and time, like Paul said, doesn't stop for
anyone, it just keeps going. And it's best to go with it and try to make the
most out of what you're given.

If one can learn anything from his journey, and his eloquent writings, it is
that we must always move forward at a constant rate and be grateful for each
day, pursue it intelligently, happily and full of energy.

Our time is limited and when you see such a tragic case of life (and death)
unfold before you, for many via the Internet - you stop for a second and think
- but hopefully, only for that second as time just keeps ticking away.

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Hapa
Things like these shouldn't happen. I strongly believe that we have the
resources and the knowledge to safe many people lives. It is tragedy that many
of us willingly let those resources be wasted, by whatever plan politicians
elected by us come up with.

This may sound like cliche but I believe it is truth

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing.(Edmund Burke)

Question is what can we do to improve it?

Things like easiest things to do is spend some money on organization
supporting research, helping those in need in general.

Help research by joining folding@home, rosetta@home or other distributed
computing project.

Spend some time helping in some charity.

This is a little but it might help to safe life someone you know. I am curious
if there is some other plan for this.

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otterley
His widow was my primary care physician for years. I was sad to lose her (she
left Kaiser for Stanford) and I'm now sad to hear that she's lost her husband.

My best to you, Dr. Kalanithi.

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coned88
This is really quite sad. When you are around that age you don't really think
about those things.

Truly though, article and content posting like this are what make HN such a
great place. I would have never seen this had I not read this site. Thank you
for posting it mikecircle.

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icpmacdo
RIP. The photo with his daughter is heartbreaking.

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lindbergh
That's also the kind of article/news I come to HN for.

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robflynn
You do not know this, but you have made me introspective. There are some
things I will be and am improving upon because of you.

Rest well, Paul.

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asumanth
Incredibly moving. For some reason, watching the video and listening to his
voice gave me peace. RIP.

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arnold_palmur
This is incredibly sad yet incredibly inspiring - I wish I could have known
him. Dr Paul Kalanithi's story resonates with me very similarly to Randy
Pausch and his journey/battle through pancreatic cancer - the swell of
emotions that I felt when I heard about his passing. It's painful to see these
people who have so much youth, intelligence, intellect and eloquence, have the
misfortune of getting dealt a bad hand. This type of person is rare, if you
are lucky, you've had the honor and privilege of crossing paths with them at
one point or another, and it has changed you for the better. Hopefully through
their passing, we can all strive to be more like them and what they stood for.

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quickpost
Wow. What an amazing individual. And what a terrible tragedy and loss for
humanity that he didn't get a full life.

After reading his writing I am very saddened to hear that he never got to
write his book - he is an amazing writer and thinker.
([http://stanmed.stanford.edu/2015spring/before-i-
go.html](http://stanmed.stanford.edu/2015spring/before-i-go.html) and
[http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/opinion/sunday/how-long-
ha...](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/opinion/sunday/how-long-have-i-got-
left.html?_r=1))

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suprgeek
I grieve for Paul's passing but also for Cady's loss.

To lose a father at that age... the picture is truly heart breaking

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ENTP
So sad to hear this. When people younger than you start leaving the mortal
coil, you can only wake up with thanksgiving in your heart that you have
another day to affect change. Truly, every day is a gift.

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alphaomegacode
RIP Dr Paul Kalanithi.

Thank you for the post & all those who upvoted a great human being.

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somberi
There is no past or present Govinda. Everything has reality and presence. -
Siddhartha (Herman Hease)

