Cycle of life

A friend of mine is dying! I don't seem to be able to shake off this growing melancholic feeling since I visited him in hospital a week ago. He is only 37, and at the peak of his career. A tumour in his brain suddenly brought this to an untimely end.
Two weeks ago, he could still speak to me. Hearing his frail voice with lame tone, he seemed like a total stranger to me. I have always known him to be so full of life, even a little brash at times. The small voice sounded so hopeless and depressing. I felt so sorry for him and his family but at the same time, awkward, for I was at a loss for words to express my sympathy. What do you say to someone who knows that he is dying?
At the hospital a week ago, he could not even speak. Seeing him grab his wife's hand attempting to bite it, out of frustration and total desperation; is heart-rending. It makes me wonder what goes through a person's mind during these dark moments. Does one reflect on one's life anymore or does one struggle with the immediate need to stay alive for as long as one can? The escalating sense of foreboding must surely drive a person crazy. Or is it fear that one feels. After all death is unknown and anything that is unknown will surely bring about uncertainty and fear...
Another friend of mine who was with me at the time asked this friend to meditate in order to remain calm. He (my sick friend)closed his eyes and remained silent for some moments. He seemed unhappy with this piece of well-meaning advice.
"How do you know what I am really going through?," he seemed to be saying.
At that moment, I wish I knew how best to communicate to bring him calm and solace. At the end, I just reminded him that I have always known him to be a strong and wonderful person and that he should remain strong. He nodded as though in agreement, then mumbled something that I could not comprehend.
Today, I hear that his condition has turned for the worst. His organs are failing him and he is in a very critical condition.
Life and death cycle is part of all of us. This I know, but when it happens to someone you know or is close to you, the reality just seems cruel and harsh.