Unfortunately, it was not all the gradual, "smooth" downward progression of slowly coming to terms that one might imagine. Cancer is a cruel, cruel roller coaster ride. He responded to chemo + radiation really well and in the August before he died they went in to remove the tumor. I have a photo of him beaming ear to ear when we went out to dinner a few days before. He looked perfectly healthy and normal. We were all in high spirits that he'd be one of the few lucky ones that makes it through the death sentence that is pancreatic cancer. When the docs at Johns Hopkins opened him up to start removing the tumor, they realized what they thought was scar tissue left over from radiation was actually embedded inoperable tumor tissue embedded in the hepatic portal vein. So they closed him up and that was that. We went from an unbelievable high of thinking he'd beat this thing, to the very low reality that it was all over. They offered all sorts of exotic treatments, but he had lost the will to fight it anymore. He went home after recovery resigned to death.

So while it was certainly rapid, the highs and lows of it all made it much more emotionally wrecking than you might think from the timeline. But it was certainly quick. He was also fortunate to feel mostly fine for the vast majority of it.