There was certainly no arguing with that. Cancer and suicide were in a neck and neck race with each other to see which of the two was worse than the other. Then, cancer wasn't something you brought on yourself. Suicide was. And perhaps that was the fundamental difference between the two, that one was self-inflicted, and the other, you had little to no control over.
Was he okay? Had anyone even asked him that and meant it? Probably. But then, he was the strong one of the family, the pillar of hope that held everything else in place, lest the entire structure come tumbling down in a heap on the ground. Was he okay? Well, he had to be. Whether he actually was or wasn't, that was another story. He didn't have a choice in the matter. He had to be okay for everyone else to be able to lean on his pillar for support. "I find the strength to be somehow." And it was as much of the truth as he was willing to reveal to this girl.