I wrote a draft of my father's obituary on the evening of March 30th. He had been on a ventilator for 11 days. The attending physician at the intensive care unit had called that morning and asked whether they should include a Do Not Resuscitate order in my dad's chart. They had asked before. I had been indecisive. A successful resuscitation would extend his life. But it might also lead to brain damage.

Now multiple organ systems were failing. They needed an answer. "What are the odds he survives?" It was the first time I allowed myself that question. "If it continues in this direction," he told me, "we're talking about a single-digit chance of survival."