When my mom got sick (a year and a half in the hospital, and now PT) my dad and I up to this point didn't generally get along, we started to get into it a bit, and I said we need to stop doing this and worry about mom right now. set our differences aside. He was floored by the wisdom that had just been disposed upon him. and since then we have never been closer. he's done some reading about my illness and how to help manage a loved one with it, now we're best friends.
So as far as how terrible an experience this all was for my mom, the silver lining was that it brought my dad and I closer together than we ever could've been.
In the future it will be my graduation from college which will at that point be a minimum of a 10 year run to get an undergrad chemistry degree. I'll cry at that one for sure.