Ballparks and Borrowed Time: A Story About Living Fully with Your Friends and Dying Well After a Terminal Cancer Diagnosis
About this episode
The episode discusses how to invest remaining time in relationships and joy in the face of terminal cancer, illustrated through the story of Bill and his friends' ballpark trips.
How to “die well together” by investing your remaining time in relationships, joy, and shared experiences—especially in the face of cancer. Key Story – Bill and the Ballparks Bill was a retired pastor and Brad’s former supervising pastor. In his late 50s/early 60s, Bill was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer . Doctors made it clear he was unlikely to beat the disease. Instead of isolating himself, Bill: Reached out to his three closest lifelong friends (seminary buddies and fellow pastors). Spent about two years traveling with them to major league baseball parks around the U.S. They were big Cincinnati Reds fans but visited multiple cities (Chicago, Atlanta, New York, etc.). They turned “borrowed time” into intentional, joy-filled time together. Bill typically paid for all four friends on these trips: He saw it as an investment in people and memories , not just an expense. Their wives sometimes connected as well, but most trips were the four guys on “ballpark weekends.” Impact and Legacy Bill eventually passed away roughly in line with his own prognosis (~2 years). When his three friends remember him today, they don’t focus on his suffering : They talk about the ballgames…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Brad Miller
Topics covered
- terminal illness
- friendship
- joyful memories
- cancer coping
- living fully
Keywords
- cancer
- friendship
- legacy
- joy
- memories
- terminal diagnosis
- ballparks
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Cincinnati Reds
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