I always wanted to retire before I was 65. I had worked as a faculty member and administrator for Ramapo College since I was 27, and I had decided that I wanted to experience life “after Ramapo” before I died. Well, I did retire before I was 65, but not as planned. I retired because I could no longer physically do the job. Funny how life takes turns we don’t expect. I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in my early 60s, and the side effects of treatments did not leave me with the energy to continue teaching full-time. Currently, I am a 68-year-old woman who still has stage 4 cancer, incurable but presently stable. I have had numerous surgeries and have been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for six years at this point.
Donna Crawley (2025) studied this question.