The doctor said I have less than three months to live. Should I continue with treatment?
Let me start by telling you a story from two years ago. There was a patient with advanced liver cancer whose family was eager for him to receive treatment from me, but he himself was not very cooperative. When I asked him why, he said that in his local area, once liver cancer was discovered and diagnosed, everyone he knew had lived no more than three months. At that time, he had completely lost hope. I encouraged him to try my approach first and not give up easily. Now, this patient has been under my care for three years, living a normal daily life just like anyone else, and his mental state has remained consistently good. So, what does this tell us? It shows that everyone’s understanding is different, and so is the understanding of different doctors. Medicine advances every day. When family members of patients often ask me how long their loved one has left, I say it’s a difficult question to answer. I can only focus on treating the illness with utmost sincerity, because technology is constantly evolving. Today’s understanding does not represent tomorrow’s progress. I don’t want any patient to give up hope.