a) getting cancer (caught early, and treatable)
b) getting through a Ph.D. program
c) finding a job that can support you after said Ph.D.
d) losing the love of your life and having your heart broken
Having done all four, my main question is how do you measure, measure a life (and its travails). In tears, perhaps, in which case d) wins hands down (although thankfully, I managed to get said love back almost a year later...)