We all knew it was coming but it’s sad to hear that Jake Seliger has passed away. I never met Jake in person but we were friends? email friends? blog friends? for more than ten years. We share a passion for accelerating drug research and development, including FDA clearance, an interest that long predates Jake’s cancer diagnosis. But mostly I thought he was a great writer and person. His essays were always thoughtful and devoid of pretense or emotion.
Jake’s wife, Bess Stillman is now 7 months pregnant with their daughter. Bess is an ER doctor and a remarkable woman. Here’s an interview with him about the frustrating difficulty of finding a patient for a clinical trial in the United States. Here’s How You Can Say It, recounting his song on Moth Radio about how he tells people their loved ones have died. If you’re wondering about the title of this post, here’s why. Read How to Let Go of her last days with Jake. Sigh.
Here’s Jake:
One of the reasons for the long ending is that I feel like I’ve said everything I have to say. I don’t know if there is something I like, but I like “I know what happens to me after I die, but what about those left behind?” It is similar to “How do we evaluate our lives, ultimately? What is important, what is important?” I’m tempted to keep quoting others, but if you scroll down through the archives you’ll find them. I meant to turn these stories into a memoir, but that is a task I will never finish. Bess assures me that she will complete the project and do her best to get it published. We’ve created so much together in the process of building our life, and Bess says that doesn’t have to stop just because I’m not here physically, and that putting both our child and our book into the world gives her a near future. a goal he will need badly.
Although my life was cut short by the worst cancer, I am still lucky in many ways. Most people never find someone who finishes them, I think, and I did. I have been helped a lot. Many oncologists have gone above and beyond. Many people, friends and strangers alike, have asked if there is anything they can do to help. The #1 thing is to support Bess and our soon-to-be-born daughter, Athena, whatever “support” may mean-the most obvious way is Go Fund Me, as any funds left over will go to Athena. I wish he could grow up with his father, but that’s not an option. Being a single mother is hard;[1] growing up without a parent is difficult; I can’t see what the future holds for Athena, except that I think and hope it will be bright, even though I won’t be there, but because of the ways friends and family are promising to keep me alive for her.
Source link