Corinne is a young, physically active woman, accustomed to working hard. She had always scoffed at the suggestion she was entering middle age in her forties. Her grandfather had died while skiing at age 72 and her grandmother had had to take a year off from skiing when she broke her arm on the slopes when she was over 70. On the bad days, her reactions to the cancer treatments make her feel she has skipped middle age entirely and is an old-age invalid.

She worries that she will never get better. She worries that these painful and lethargic bad days will continue to intrude on her life until she dies. She rages when people tell her to relax and think about the good days to come. On bad days, more than ever, she is afraid this cancer is going to kill her. In fact, she feels she is already losing the life she loved.