Pointless

Mum sounded very tired when I called. It was twenty past ten her time, not too late, but not too early either. I had just woken up, and my phone was the first thing I grabbed.

Tomorrow she needs to go back to the hospital. It's been another two weeks already. The doctor said the cancer index declined, but not by much. It may mean that the drug is losing its effect, which means it may be pointless to keep on doing the treatment. It's just more agony and physical torment for mum to continue, if the drugs are not effective any more... And if they're not effective, what else is there left? How many more types of chemotherapy can she undergo?

"I'm so tired," she said, "I want to stop..." I didn't know what to say... Do I encourage her to stop, and run the risk of the cancer spreading and then eventually cause her so much pain and suffering before ultimately killing her...? Or do I tell her to continue with the treatment, to keep on fighting, to keep on returning to the hospital every two weeks, to get so weak and lethargic and exhausted...? What did I tell her? I'm not sure what I told her...
I really don't remember at all, so it must have been very unremarkable.

I think I told her to take care. I think I told her to hang on there. Not whether she should stop or continue, but just to be strong. How much do my words help her?