My family is unfortunate to have two people with incurable cancer. One is my husband's dear aunt who has cancer caught too late, it has already reached the bones. The other is his step-mother who had lung cancer they believed to be heading to remission. Instead it has produced two new spots on the lungs (too fragile from previous radiation to biopsy but assumed cancerous tumors) and has entered the blood. I am not sure about the aunt but his stepmom has been given 3 months to 3 years. The 3 years is only if another round of chemotherapy buys her extra time.

She is doing the chemo but has started planning her funeral, getting her things in order and last night asked my husband to assist with getting things in their home/garage ready for his dad to be a widower.

How do you deal with death when it is hanging in the room, just mocking you? His grandfather had cancer but we didn't get to see him after he went to hospice, it took him in a quick couple of weeks not months. My only experience with death has been unexpected (heart attacks, accidents and murder) I do not know how to help him with knowing it is coming.