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Comment by Waterluvian | Hacker News Reader

Whenever I read these kinds of stories, I eagerly seek details on what might have caused the cancer. I think it’s very unsettling to imagine that it’s random. I’m not looking to find blame, but to find anything that I can grasp onto as an explanation for why I’m different and I won’t randomly lose an organ or limb.

I can’t imagine wanting to live through that horror of detachment, which makes me admire people like Jake who demonstrate an extreme level of courage.

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Read one of his other posts, no family history, no tobacco use, not a heavy drinker.

Live every day, folks. That promise of finally getting to do what you want after you retire is cheap and hollow.

That’s natural, I think the same way, but in person try to stick with the here and now. Anyone who’s ever been sick with anything knows that other people often probe with questions and advice that is often unwanted and takes the focus off the sick person.

> I’m not looking to find blame, but to find anything that I can grasp onto as an explanation for why I’m different and I won’t randomly lose an organ or limb.

That would be nice but unfortunately the human body doesn't seem to work like that. You can try to live a healthy life but there is no guarantee you'll make it into your eighties.

Friend in college died of some super fast cancer at 21. Navy cadet, high speed, PT superstar. We don't like to think of it that way but it's often just a roll of the dice. Some cosmic ray flips a bit and the immune system was taking a nap that day or something.

People are living past 30 with startling regularity, when you realize that for most of human history that wasn't the case. Cancers were one a very long list of things that could kill you and no where near the top.

Far more bulk than was previously affordable by many is also a big factor though, i.e. better nutrition leads to a taller generation and height correlates with risk.

If you have twice the mass you are rolling twice the dice.

I was once curious about this regarding breast size and breast cancer. Does more cells in the body simply correlate to more dice rolls each cell generation?

(Yes I’m sure this sounds woefully ignorant of how things work)

While one can't really apply this model in comparisons between individuals, it tends to hold up in population models and is used to try to figure out how some species have evolved better defenses. For example:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-ele...

For one individual they might have a number of genetic factors that in a world of perfect models could be used to calculate risk of an organ cancer per gram of the organ.. In the case of breast cancer there are studies on breast reduction and risk, but the one I found is not freely available..

> I think it’s very unsettling to imagine that it’s random.

Sometimes that's just how the world is tho.

Indeed, believing we are in control is one of those things humans seem to like.

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