Recently, I learned of two tragedies that made me consider life from a different perspective. One involved a man who faced an impossible decision after a fall, a result of a vertigo-induced condition caused by successful chemotherapy. The other tragedy was the story of a man who had been silently battling his inner demons for years, following the loss of his wife to a long-term illness.

The first man had reached the precipice of his working life and was ready to enjoy an active retirement tha...