I was looking in the article for a followup to that statement, but there was none.  The reason I raise an eyebrow is simply that even in the absence of a communication gap, talking+swallowing as top concerns seems like a reasonable response.<p>What matters more to you, being alive, or having a tolerable quality of life?  Are we sure that there&#x27;s a misunderstanding that death is a likely outcome (I could believe it; but I would also be slightly surprised, since &quot;cancer==death sooner or later&quot; exists even as a trope in mainstream media) as opposed to just a prioritization over things that matter so long as you&#x27;re alive?<p>Anyway, this was quite a tangent from the original article content, just something I was mulling over given your comment.