3172: Fifteen Years

2025-11-25T00:31:20Z

2600:1702:8590:8DF0:0:0:0:48: identified the book

{{comic
| number = 3172
| date = November 24, 2025
| title = Fifteen Years
| image = fifteen_years_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x2623px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "Want to feel old?" "Yes."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a STILL CANCER-FREE BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Randall]]'s then-fiancée, now wife was diagnosed with cancer in late 2010. This is a matter he has discussed in the comic [[:Category:Cancer|multiple times before]], with Randall being depicted as Cueball and his wife as Megan. At this comic's release, it had been 15 years since her diagnosis and treatments.

This comic continues previous comics in the [[:Category:X Years|the series]] – [[1141: Two Years]], [[1928: Seven Years]], and [[2386: Ten Years]] – the initial parts of which are shown in the first 20 panels, which are grayed-out.

The first of the new panels shows Randall and his wife in bed, with Randall reading her a book. He wants to stop because they need to get to sleep, she convinces him to read one more chapter. It didn't take much arm-twisting, her argument was simply a grunt.

The next panel appears to depict the {{w|Covid-19 pandemic}}. [[Hairy]], Megan, Cueball, [[Ponytail]], and [[White Hat]] are all wearing masks and looking at cellphone graphs showing the progression of the virus. Happily, they both survived this.

The next panel shows them feeding birds. It's apparently winter, since Randall is wearing a knit cap and they're both wearing scarves. There are three birds around Randall, including one perched on his head; there's one bird that has landed on Megan's phone. Randall concludes that the birds like his birdseed more than hers. Megan can't figure out how to take a picture of her bird, since the phone's camera can't be pointed at the phone itself.

The next panel shows them on a kayaking expedition in a dense forest.

The next panel shows Randall in a bed, recovering from appendicitis. He has previously mentioned getting an appendectomy in [[2508: Circumappendiceal Somectomy]], in August, 2021. His wife is enjoying the shoe being on the other foot, going overboard taking care of him after a major medical procedure, but Randall tries to downplay the severity of his procedure.

The next four panels show them driving. They notice something, pull over, and get out of the car. The panel after this shows them viewing a spectacular {{w|aurora borealis}}. 2025 has been a {{w|solar maximum}}, producing a number of auroras that have been visible at unusually low latitudes, including Massachusetts, where Randall lives.

The final four panels show them sitting and talking in a field. Randall is lying down, his wife is sitting against a tree. They're celebrating her being cancer-free 15 years after her diagnosis. They do notice some other conditions, and realize they're the natural results of aging. This is good news, considering the serious medical scares they lived through.

The title text continues that ending with a play on a common conversation topic. Normally someone rhetorically asks "Want to feel old?" and then follows it with a description of a difference the conversants have with the younger generation, or how long it's been since some significant event they both experienced. But in this case, the question is taken literally, with a simple "Yes" response to indicate that feeling old is better than being dead and they are happy to be alive.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:'''From [[1141: Two Years]]'''
:[Randall (drawn as Cueball) and Randall's fiancée (drawn as Megan) sit on a bed, Randall's fiancée is talking on the phone. The person she is talking to, a doctor holding a clipboard, is shown inset.]
:Randall's fiancée: Oh god.

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit together while Randall's fiancée, now bald, is receiving chemotherapy. They are both on their laptops.]
:IV pump: ... Beeep ... Beeep ... Beeep ...

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée (who is wearing a knit cap) are paddling a kayak against a scenic mountain backdrop.]

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit at a table, staring at a cell phone. There is a clock on the wall. Her head is stubbly.]
:Randall's fiancée: How long can it take to read a scan!?

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée are back at the hospital again, Randall's fiancée receiving chemo. They are playing Scrabble.]
:Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word.
:Randall's fiancée: But ''caaaancer.''
:Randall: ...Ok, fine.

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée (wearing a knit cap) are listening to a Cueball-like friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads and it obscures the friends talk. The text below, split in three is the only part there can be no doubt about:]
:Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mounta
::ea
::and
:Randall and Randall's fiancée (thinking): '''"Next year"'''

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée are getting married, with a heart above their heads. Randall's wife's hair is growing back.]

:[Randall and Randall's wife (wearing a knit cap) stand on a beach, watching a whale jump out of water.]
:''Fwoosh''

:'''From [[1928: Seven Years]]'''

:[Randall and Randall's wife (with her hair noticeably longer) are walking through a forest.]

:[Randall's wife is sitting down, not in the forest anymore.]
:Randall's wife: My toe hurts and I found a report of a case in which toe pain was an early sign of cancer spreading.
:Randall: Wait—didn’t you stub your toe yesterday?
:Randall's wife: Yes, but what if this is unrelated?

:[Randall and his wife are going spelunking. The guide is gesturing deeper into the cave while Randall and his wife are climbing down.]

:[Randall's wife stands on a rock above an alligator in a swamp, photographing the alligator. Randall is on a balcony behind safety railings.]
:Randall: When they estimated your survival odds, I think they made some optimistic assumptions about your hobbies.

:[Randall's wife sits on an examination bed, listening to a doctor holding a clipboard.]
:Doctor: This is probably nothing.
:Doctor: But given your history, we should do a full scan.
:Doctor: We'll call with the results in a few days. Try not to worry about it until then!

:[Randall and his wife stand above a deep pond full of fish and other objects. Randall's wife is piloting a wired underwater camera with lights.]

:[Randall and his wife are standing next to each other. Randall's wife has shoulder-length hair covering most of her face.]
:Randall's wife: Hard to believe—six years ago, I was bald. But today, after a long struggle, I finally look like the little girl from ''The Ring''.
:Randall: That's, uhh... good?
:Randall's wife: ''Hissssss''

:[A line of six people, including Randall and his wife, stand and watch the solar eclipse.]

'''From [[2386: Ten Years]]''':
:[Randall and his wife are sitting in a room with five bunnies sitting around and on them. The Poster on the wall reads: Rabbit rescue.]
:Randall: Do you think they're socialized enough?
:Randall's wife: This one might need one more head pat.

:[Randall is running and pushing his wife on a hand cart.]
:Someone off-panel: Has anyone seen the hand cart?
:Randall's wife: Wheee!

:[Randall and his wife walks up hill with snowy mountains near by and in the background. his wife is gesturing to something ahead of them.]

:[A large dark panel, to the right of the previous three, to the left in two rows. Randall and his wife sits, leaning back on their hands looking up, at the end of a pier going into a lake. The end is broader and they sit to each side of the middle of the pier. It is night and behind the lake there is a forest of pine trees. Above the three is a clear starlit night sky with hundreds of stars and the band of the Milky Way clearly visible. The trees and some of the stars are reflected in the water of the lake, distorted by the movements of the water. There is a box with the words "Ten Years" in the center of the image.]

'''New [[3172: Fifteen Years]]''':
:[Randall and his wife are cuddling in their bed together. Randall is presumably reading from the book he is holding in his hand, {{w|Moominland Midwinter}}.]
:Randall's wife: One more chapter?
:Randall: Don't we both have to get up early tomorrow?
:Randall's wife: ''Nnnnnggggh''
:Randall: Sure, good point.

:[Randall and his wife are walking through a city. In the background is Hairy, Ponytail, and White Hat. Everyone is wearing a face mask and looking on their cellphones. On the phone are various graphs of COVID-19 statistics.]]

:[Randall is wearing a beanie and a scarf, while his wife is wearing a matching scarf. Randall is holding out his hand to feed birds birdseed, while his wife is holding a cellphone with a bird on it.]
:Randall: Hah! They like '''my''' seeds best.
:Randall's wife: Wait, how do I take a picture of this one?

:[Randall and his wife are kayaking in a river. There are 3 fluffy clouds in the sky and 6 birds. A forest grows on the riverbank, which is partially covered by reeds. There are lily pads on the river and a small turtle is on one of them.]

:[Randall is lying in bed with his head propped up by 3 pillows, facing his wife. She is holding a large pile of items in her hands: a takeout box, a pillow, two blankets, a pill box, and a mug.]
:Randall's wife: I brought you honey lemon tea, more pillows, a cinnamon roll, Tylenol, another blanket, a—
:Randall: It was just appendicitis, I'm really—
:Randall's wife: '''IT IS MY TURN TO TAKE CARE OF YOU AND I'M GOING TO DO IT RIGHT!'''

:[Randall and his wife are sitting in their car, still and in shock. Randall is in the driver's seat.]::

:[Randall and his wife are still sitting in the same position in their car.]
:Randall's wife: Oh my god.
:Randall: Oh my god.

:[The car is moving quickly and gravel can be seen bouncing up behind the car, as well as exhaust.]
:Randall's wife: Pull over!
:Randall: I am!

:[The car has been parked and Randall and his wife are scrambling to get out of the car.]

:[Randall and his wife are standing by the edge of a lake. The color is inverted, with the background geography black and their bodies white. A beautiful aurora of reds and greens is spread across the night sky.]

:[Randall's wife is leaning against a tree and Randall is lying down on the grass looking up towards the sky.]
:Randall's wife: Fifteen years. No signs of cancer.

:[Zoom in of Randall's wife's face.]
:Randall's wife: I '''''am''''' having some weird symptoms. Joint pain. Fatigue. I think I'm losing my close-up vision.
:Off panel voice: Yeah. Me too.

:[Zoom out, back to the original panel with the tree on the hill. Randall's wife is facing down towards Randall.]
:Randall: I think we're getting old.

:[Randall's wife is looking forward again.]
:Randall's wife: I guess that's okay.
:Randall: It's all I wanted.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:X Years]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Cancer]] [[Category:X Years]] [[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]] [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] [[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]] [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]

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3172: Fifteen Years