R.I.P. Randy Pausch

Back in May, I asked for prayers for Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor who so bravely faced his battle with terminal pancreatic cancer. His book, The Last Lecture, has become a #1 bestseller, based on the farewell talk he gave his students. A video of that talk became a YouTube sensation, and it afford Pausch a level of celebrity that enabled him to use his last months of life to spread the word about pancreatic cancer, and the need for more research to find a cure.

I've been following his update page for a long time now, and these last couple of months, he's barely had any entries at all. His last entry was in late June, when he said that they were going to pull back from the chemotherapy, which seemed to be causing him more harm than good at this point. His "box scores" tracking the cancer's progress were grim. I knew it was only a matter of time, but the news that he had succumbed to his illness still surprised me. I had really hoped for a miracle.

My condolences go out to his wife, his 3 children, and the rest of his loving family. He accepted his cancer diagnosis with extraordinary calm, grace, and an unflagging drive to make the most of the time he had left.

Rest in peace, Randy. The world was a better place for your having been here.