A Cancer Victim Blogs His Final Days

MSNBC.com reporter Mike Celizic found out on Wednesday that he only has a few "halfway decent" weeks left before lymphoma kills him. He's chosen not to undergo chemotherapy, but he will be blogging about his experience. It feels like cancer and death have been in the news a lot lately, what with Christopher Hitchens' cancer diagnosis and Atul Gawande's New Yorker piece on how doctors should deal with patients whose lives they can't save.

Celizic's post on receiving his diagnosis is lucid and shows a man handling terrible news in a strikingly level-headed way. There's plenty of wisdom in his short post; it's definitely worth a read:

The object isn't to live as long as you can, but as well as you can. I've lived very well; had a grand and glorious life. I've done everything I've ever wanted to do except meet Al Roker. I'm not afraid to die. But I don't want to die, and there's the problem. I love life, love this glorious planet, love simple pleasures, love living.

Read the full story at MSNBC.com.