Indeed though if a bunch of different users are doing it, you might want to allow it with a citation needed marker. I've been to so many articles with a "citation needed" marker for years, but surely it would not be too complex for someone to find a source.
Actually, that's not the purpose of [citation needed]. Adding a death date without a reference is very close to violation of [[WP:BIO]]. When I created [citation needed], I didn't envision it to be used for just adding any old data or information into articles, especially this sort of thing.
> Some personal news: Recently, I learned the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma I battled in 2009 has returned. I’ve begun treatment & my doctors are optimistic that I will see a good result. Appreciate the support I’ve received & count on it as I fight this challenge
"Recently" can mean anything from now or months. It could be he only went public much later when the full details and scope of the disease came out - no use fearmongering at the first sign of trouble when the doctors haven't had time to assess prognosis.
It's shockingly common, too. A close family friend saw progress from an experimental treatment against stage 4 pancreatic cancer (she basically stole some eighteen months of her life back; this cancer at this stage is notorious for being a quick and agonizing death sentence), but despite success in shrinking the metastasized tumor population down to just one, she had the misfortune of her cancer mutating such that the treatment was no longer effective.
My uncle went to the dentist complaining of bit of bleeding in his gums. The dentist immediately sent him to get blood tests done and the next day he was diagnosed with leukaemia. Three days later he passed away.
Like Arthur Kane, bass player for the New York Dolls. Goes to the hospital thinking he has the flu, is diagnosed with leukemia, 2 hours - HOURS - later, he dies.
To be fair, people having unhealthy lifestyle - especially those drinking are feeling terrible all the time - may just think this is how healthy person should feel and miss any symptoms of the potential disease.
I caught that movie already started on a TV channel once and saw like the last third of it. I didn't know the band, and all the while I thought it was a parody similar to Spinal Tap. It wasn't until the ending that I realized everything was a true story.
Last time I went to the doctor with extreme flu like symptoms (Pretty sure I had pneumonia) the doctor treated me like I was wasting her time and actually ridiculed me. Hearing stuff like this stresses me the heck out.
I had a doctor be dismissive and rude for coming in with a huge crater blister (from climbing) on my foot that had become infected, hot to the touch, and too painful for me to walk. This was in America, and I had good health insurance. As crappy as the Tories are making the NHS, it's still better than what we have.
I got to my (Dutch) doctor for far smaller things than these. Really trivial stuff. But I go because I'm not sure what it is and I prefer to be on the safe side. I'm always taken seriously, even when it's nothing.
I guess the Dutch system is not so bad after all. Or maybe you've got bad luck in that doctor, and I'm fortunate to have a good one. There's always some bad apples in every group.
Similar thing happened to my father. He was flossing and his gums wouldn’t stop bleeding. Long story short he went to the hospital and was intubated due to breathing difficulties.
His cancer had been in remission, but unfortunately it evolved into a much more aggressive form of plasma cell leukemia. He passed away within that week.
My parents went hiking/camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Dad was having trouble swallowing. On returning, they went to the doctor and he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He seemed the picture of health. In 5 weeks he died.
DLBCL is a very aggressive disease with a 5-year survival of ~60%. he was a relapse case from 2009. I'd say he took great care of his condition to have extended his survival to almost 10 years.
My grandmother's condition also was stable for a long time before warning signs started showing and she had to go back in for treatments. Her condition deteriorated within the span of 2 or so weeks before passing away.
There are some complications of cancer that cause rapid deterioration. The reason why this happens to some people and not others is not well understood. One of the more common rapidly fatal complications is disseminated intravascular coagulation, where the cancer stimulates widespread blood clotting that consumes all the normal clotting factors and results in bleeding which can easily be fatal.
It is perhaps not so well understood that a cancer is not 'part of the person'. Our notions of good health presuppose the concept of a united system of physiological functions. Cancer doesn't follow this rule. It is an invasive, foreign organism who's singular purpose is to keep growing no matter what. It is less sophisticated than a virus in that respect. Assessed on a genomic level, you may have less in common with your cancer than you do with your neighbor.
Some cancers are slow, some are fast. My mother died a few weeks after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which is always a fast killer. I'm glad we got to do some things together as a family in those last few weeks.
There is something to be said for nuance in stage IV treatments as most surgeries near EOL worsen outcomes and suffering for profit, but this wasn't one of those cases.
I must admit that this news has shaken me quite a bit.
I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma six months ago. I'm a young guy, married, and with toddlers at home. The initial tumor was removed and I am now in the "waiting period" to see if it spread and if additional tumors present themselves. It's a very good prognosis, but hot dog if this news hasn't hit close to home, especially considering this fun fact:
My six-month PET scan is tomorrow.
We shall see what they find. In the meantime Paul Allen and his family will be in my prayers.
I don't know if this will help, but when my uncle Scotty was diagnosed with NHL, he founded an online support group that's still going strong long after he passed away (from what I understand, he died of something else and the NHL was still in remission at the time, but I'm still not sure what he died of so I could be wrong). I hope you find some resources there that can help you
I was diagnosed in 2016 with NHL - just as you, have two children (4 and 10). I am in remission now. Treatments have improved a lot over the years. I would not read too much into survival stats you'll find online. Do keep yourself fit and stress-free as much as you can - exercise, avoid sugar, healthy food, etc. I cannot overstate how important cutting down on sugar is.
You are not alone. Joining a online forum of survivors will be useful as long as you pick a good forum. I am regular at https://lymphomasurvival.com
As a kid who grew up outside of the tech scene but in Washington State, Allen had a big impact on the wider community through his philanthropy and his love of sports, he was well liked everywhere.
I often wonder what would have become of him had his parents not had the forethought to send him to Lakeside School; his family wasn't rich like Bill Gates' family; I imagine, with money, Gates would have done well whether or not he had gone to that school, but if Allen hadn't, and therefore hadn't met Gates, where would have gone?
It makes me think long and hard about my children's education. They'll get a fantastic education regardless of what school they go to, since we'll learn at home, but just how important is the networking? Does that itself supercede the education?
I guess biographies always make you ask yourself these what if questions, and often apply them to yourself.
It's an interesting thought experiment with Allen, because he provided the unrelenting prompting to start Microsoft. As you know from the book (and Gates has confirmed this numerous times), he urged Gates repeatedly that they should start a company focused on software to capitalize on the burgeoning personal computing era. Finally convincing him when the famous January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics came out with the Altair 8800 on the cover.
Allen very plausibly was even more of an entrepreneur personality type than Gates was. It seems likely that Allen may well have pursued founding his own company in the absence of Gates.
From a very young age, Allen apparently had a strong penchant for science and technology. Striking out on your own, then as now, is maybe the best way to leap forward with new technology, versus laboring in the corner of a stuffy, conservative corporate behemoth like Honeywell (where Allen worked) or IBM.
Lakeside at a minimum very likely accelerated by several years his introduction to computer programming, due to the resources the school had. Then on top of that, he had a small group of friends to pursue those adventures with thanks to Lakeside, and they all had access to the same tech. The amplification value of all of that, has to be considerable.
But as he also admits in the book, he would pursue anything and everything, but Bill Gates would temper his expectations and help direct energy in a productive direction; so, it's possible--or even likely, I think--that Paul Allen would have started one of the many, many computer companies that didn't succeed. i.e. a PC manufacturer with a million competitors.
Of course, it's also possible he would have been wildly successful as an early entrant. Who can say?
Incredibly sad news, only two weeks after he learned the disease returned.
For those who don't know, he was also apparently a very capable guitar player, who according to Quincy Jones could "sing and play just like Jimi Hendrix".
To be clear, it hasn't been stated that it was only two weeks after he learned the disease returned. That's when it was publicly acknowledged by Allen. He only said that it was recent that he learned about the recurrence. That could mean it was several months ago and Allen may have chosen for personal reasons to keep that information private.
The outtakes from this are also worth watching (60 minutes "overtime" segment, but I no longer find it on their site). In one of my favorite moments, Stahl approaches a model of Allen's yacht and says, "So this is the Octopus...". Allen corrects her, "It's a model of the Octopus..."
Why not? It's for sure a meme, but it's used sincerely in many places as well. Let's all mourn in our own ways, and not judge others for mourning in theirs.
In case you really can’t see why: because it’s not actually respectful. It’s a dumb meme, it has nothing to do with Paul Allen, and– despite what you might think– a lot of people won’t know what it means.
Humor can be a powerful tool for coping with grief, but something like this reads as glib and disrespectful in a forum that holds itself to a higher standard of discourse than the broader internet.
At what point are we no longer celebrating a life well lived?
Paul Allen loved computing, and funded a living computing museum, along with with another museum dedicated to to pop culture. I wouldn't presume to know how he'd feel about a meme based tribute, but I sure as heck wouldn't feel the need to spit on one for not meeting my own criteria for respectfulness or sincerity.
RIP. Paul Allen - one smart cookie, who lived more than most of us ever will.
This is a sad day. Paul Allen certainly had many achievements, but one of his endeavors that I truly admire is the founding and funding of the Allen Institute [0], especially after I had the pleasure of attending Christof Koch's lecture at the American Academy of Neurology annual conference two years ago [1].
Thank you for everything. You are truly an inspiration. RIP.
The Allen Institutes are incredible organizations. They do these enormous Big Science projects that no single lab could ever do, generating beautiful datasets that the entire scientific community can use freely. All of their data is publicly available. Paul Allen's contributions to accelerating science are immense and cannot be understated.
Also, as an aviation enthusiast, I am really thankful for the Flying Heritage museum, which is one of his endeavors.
Keeping historically important aircraft airworthy is something that is keeping the dream of aviation alive. It is too sad that so many have been scrapped (the great flying boats all but went extinct), but this is one effort that sets an example - and benefits the humanity.
Really sad to hear this. He was one of the early financial supporters of Scaled Composites in their successful bid for the X-Prize, as well as a great supporter of the Allen Telescope Array for both astrophysics and SETI applications. Always had respect for Paul Allen.
One of the first people to sign on to the Giving Pledge. Worth 20 billion according to wiki. Owns the
Seattle Seahawks and the Trailblazers. Will these be sold off? Will be a true test of the Pledge.
I'm not much of a football fan, but I would really love it if the Seahawks were owned by a charity. It would make rooting for the home team much more meaningful!
Wow, so disappointing that his wealth didn't help him this time. Was hopeful that one of these experimental treatments we keep on hearing about would prove fruitful.
You would think a person with 20 billion net worth would fund a couple hundred million a year net of institutes researching his particular disease, 'just in case'.
307 comments
[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 348 ms ] threadOne of the early giants of my teens.
Edit: and it's up.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Allen&action...
> Some personal news: Recently, I learned the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma I battled in 2009 has returned. I’ve begun treatment & my doctors are optimistic that I will see a good result. Appreciate the support I’ve received & count on it as I fight this challenge
Just now: https://twitter.com/PaulGAllen/status/1051958128885940226
It's shockingly common, too. A close family friend saw progress from an experimental treatment against stage 4 pancreatic cancer (she basically stole some eighteen months of her life back; this cancer at this stage is notorious for being a quick and agonizing death sentence), but despite success in shrinking the metastasized tumor population down to just one, she had the misfortune of her cancer mutating such that the treatment was no longer effective.
She was felled two weeks after that discovery.
I'm so, so dreadfully sorry for your loss.
you hear these types of stories more often than of ones where people die of cancer not knowing they had cancer
This was the often praised UK NHS btw
I guess the Dutch system is not so bad after all. Or maybe you've got bad luck in that doctor, and I'm fortunate to have a good one. There's always some bad apples in every group.
His cancer had been in remission, but unfortunately it evolved into a much more aggressive form of plasma cell leukemia. He passed away within that week.
Cancer sucks.
It is perhaps not so well understood that a cancer is not 'part of the person'. Our notions of good health presuppose the concept of a united system of physiological functions. Cancer doesn't follow this rule. It is an invasive, foreign organism who's singular purpose is to keep growing no matter what. It is less sophisticated than a virus in that respect. Assessed on a genomic level, you may have less in common with your cancer than you do with your neighbor.
If my death is noteworthy, I really hope I'm not eulogized with a bunch of animated gifs of sad faces.
I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma six months ago. I'm a young guy, married, and with toddlers at home. The initial tumor was removed and I am now in the "waiting period" to see if it spread and if additional tumors present themselves. It's a very good prognosis, but hot dog if this news hasn't hit close to home, especially considering this fun fact:
My six-month PET scan is tomorrow.
We shall see what they find. In the meantime Paul Allen and his family will be in my prayers.
https://nhlcyberfamily.org
You are not alone. Joining a online forum of survivors will be useful as long as you pick a good forum. I am regular at https://lymphomasurvival.com
it's sad to hear medicine still can't help someone who could spend billions to heal one body, i would expect different in 2018
Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/technology/18allen.html
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idea_Man
I often wonder what would have become of him had his parents not had the forethought to send him to Lakeside School; his family wasn't rich like Bill Gates' family; I imagine, with money, Gates would have done well whether or not he had gone to that school, but if Allen hadn't, and therefore hadn't met Gates, where would have gone?
It makes me think long and hard about my children's education. They'll get a fantastic education regardless of what school they go to, since we'll learn at home, but just how important is the networking? Does that itself supercede the education?
I guess biographies always make you ask yourself these what if questions, and often apply them to yourself.
Allen very plausibly was even more of an entrepreneur personality type than Gates was. It seems likely that Allen may well have pursued founding his own company in the absence of Gates.
From a very young age, Allen apparently had a strong penchant for science and technology. Striking out on your own, then as now, is maybe the best way to leap forward with new technology, versus laboring in the corner of a stuffy, conservative corporate behemoth like Honeywell (where Allen worked) or IBM.
Lakeside at a minimum very likely accelerated by several years his introduction to computer programming, due to the resources the school had. Then on top of that, he had a small group of friends to pursue those adventures with thanks to Lakeside, and they all had access to the same tech. The amplification value of all of that, has to be considerable.
Of course, it's also possible he would have been wildly successful as an early entrant. Who can say?
For those who don't know, he was also apparently a very capable guitar player, who according to Quincy Jones could "sing and play just like Jimi Hendrix".
Play one more riff in the sky computer man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAYY-MmonYU
https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitaraficionado/divine-life-mu...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IM0SvIiMI4
> The uploader has not made this video available in your country.
Does anyone have a link that is viewable outside the US?
Humor can be a powerful tool for coping with grief, but something like this reads as glib and disrespectful in a forum that holds itself to a higher standard of discourse than the broader internet.
Paul Allen loved computing, and funded a living computing museum, along with with another museum dedicated to to pop culture. I wouldn't presume to know how he'd feel about a meme based tribute, but I sure as heck wouldn't feel the need to spit on one for not meeting my own criteria for respectfulness or sincerity.
RIP. Paul Allen - one smart cookie, who lived more than most of us ever will.
Please be more respectful towards cultures you do not understand.
That helped but I don't see the relation to Paul Allen.
Thank you for everything. You are truly an inspiration. RIP.
[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Institute
[1] - https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/about/te...
Keeping historically important aircraft airworthy is something that is keeping the dream of aviation alive. It is too sad that so many have been scrapped (the great flying boats all but went extinct), but this is one effort that sets an example - and benefits the humanity.
[1]https://flyingheritage.org/
[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Heritage_%26_Combat_Arm...
It will likely have to be sold.