My friend’s father is in the hospital, and it’s been rough. His cancer treatment did not go as expected. “He’s suffering so much!” my friend sighed. “And the doctors, they’re just experimenting on him. It’s horrible.” When I heard this, I was confused. Was her father in some sort of experimental treatment? “No. But the doctors told us that once he had this treatment, he’d have another five good years, at least. The chemo was awful, but it was supposed to be worth it. It turns out he’s still sick with cancer, and I feel terrible that we put him through that torture. The doctors said they didn’t know why it didn’t work. It’s like they’re just experimenting.”
When I heard my friend’s story, I had a powerful feeling of déjà vu. Her narrative sounded just like letters I had found from the 1960s in Harvard Medical School’s archives…