Comforting Words | Ask Uncle Gary

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Eleven Months Later

Altadena, CA. Nearly a year after the Eaton Fire carved its way through the foothills, the town is still living in its shadow. Eleven months sounds like enough time for life to snap back into place, but for many families, the calendar doesn’t match reality. People are still scattered across borrowed bedrooms, spare couches, and motel rooms that were never meant to be home. Entire neighborhoods feel like they’re holding their breath.

Dec 30, 2025

We've been friends since the first day of kindergarten.

Dear Uncle Gary, What do you say to someone who is dying at 33? Last November, my friend was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer. Now, less than a year later, she’s in palliative care. The doctors say she has “weeks.” Weeks. I’ve been crying for days, trying to make sense of something that refuses to make sense. She’s young. She’s vibrant. She’s supposed to be here. We've been friends since the first day of kindergarten. I want to visit her in the hospital, but I’m ter