Do men and women handle terminal illness differently?

I think for each individual, the journey of facing and accepting terminal illness is very personal. Each person has to have the time to come to terms with it their own way. That said, watching my own family, I would agree that there are differences in the ways men and women handle it. My father, cousins and grandfather were stoic, quiet, introspective and seemed more concerned with making "arrangements" to take care of everyone after they were gone. They gave "suffering in silence" new meaning to me. My sisters, grandmother and my best friend were more interested in letting their experiences help others going through something similar. They all worked hard to continue to nurture those around them. Come to think of it, I guess they continued to fulfill the roles they had when healthy, the best they could, until the end. ... more