Slow poison

[...] there is the problem of immediate survival-will some benevolent soul open his or her door in time, before the small, fragile flame is extinguished? [...] they raised him well enough that he excelled in academics and obtained an advanced degree. [...] what seemed to upset medical staff the most was his refusal to adhere to his renal diet. Since the term "nonadherent" is really not a fair description, I shall be blunt.