Callistemon21:
'I would not wish to continue such a life'
That's how most of us feel - when we're well and life is worth living. When I've been in extreme, overwhelming pain (back injury, childbirth etc.) I've truly wished to just die and be out of it.
Still, having thought that he wouldn't want to 'linger' - and seeing it as pointless, my husband thought very differently when desperately ill. He never gave up hope of getting better. That was what kept him going, despite the reality of the situation. Every day was so precious to him.
Of course, our whole life experience tends to be some recovery from illness, brighter days ahead, struggling and suffering through the pain, doesn't it?