Thanks firebolt.
I heard some more sad news today - a relatively old client of the firm I work for came in today to say that he had been diagnosed with cancer and that he didn't have 'long left' to live - the tears were in his eyes and in mine too.
I never thought in a million years that working in my profession would bring so much real-life heartache (I am an accountant); after 13 or 14 years dealing with (many being the same) clients at this firm, it is very hard to hear and experience the losses that occur. I never had the same connection with clients in my former workplace (I dealt with 'much larger' clients there).
I am grateful I never went into the medical profession (which was one field I had thought of) as I think I would find the sadness that can come with dealing with patients really hard to bear.