afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2023—2026

Retirement gave him time. A diagnosis showed why that mattered.

u/jgatcomb left federal work at 46. A serious illness soon made the value of that decision painfully concrete: time could go to treatment and family without competing with a job. The next update reported recovery and renewed travel plans, with a sharper sense that the future should not be taken for granted.

Finances
Net worth at retirement2023 · Personal
Not established

No starting wealth figure established in these personal updates.

Source
Posts2
2025
Post 01

A health crisis changes the meaning of freedom

“Yesterday, I received confirmation of pancreatic cancer which had been suspected for a couple of weeks. I am 48 years old and have not been FIRE'd for even 2 full years yet.”

u/jgatcombRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • A serious diagnosis redirected attention toward health and family.
  • Asked for help continuing community resources while priorities changed.

How it felt

  • Valued being able to direct time toward urgent personal needs. “Your life SHOULD be your own.”
  • Had already found retirement busy; leaving work did not mean an empty calendar. “I have been busier now then before I retired.”
FamilyFreedomChange
u/jgatcomb (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Publication date at available precision. Retirement milestones follow the author’s own count; a missing milestone is not inferred.

Retirement timing, illness and request for help maintaining community resources.

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. The original contains the full story.

2026Year 2.5
Post 02

The future returns, without feeling guaranteed

“I'm extremely grateful to be alive and cancer free but we are not taking anything for granted.”

u/jgatcombRead original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Reported being cancer-free, with travel and family life regaining space.
  • Considered longer stays in Europe and Asia as children approached or entered college.

How it felt

  • Was looking forward without assuming that recovery guaranteed the future. “we are not taking anything for granted.”
  • Wanted to avoid indefinitely postponing meaningful experiences. “Tomorrow is not promised”
FamilyTravelChange
u/jgatcomb (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Publication date at available precision. Retirement milestones follow the author’s own count; a missing milestone is not inferred.

Health update, travel, children and future plans.

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. The original contains the full story.

Research

Last checked Sep 2026. The accounts are self-reported. This timeline follows selected accounts, including recollections where labeled; it is not a complete archive.

  • Last active work was in 2023; official separation followed leave and occurred on January 1, 2024. Health outcomes are the author’s own reports. Future long trips remain plans.
  • This is a selection of reviewed updates, not a complete account history. No later life outcome is inferred from the absence of another indexed post.

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