If I ever did a script about my mother dying from cancer in a room in ICU - the most surprising thing would be how much laughter there was. You would come onto the ward, and anytime it was visiting hours, there were people (sometimes as many as a dozen, despite the official limit of two) and there was often laughter. But that was my mom. She made people happy, so they wanted to return that gift.

(and yeah, some of the circumstances are so absurd - how can you NOT laugh?)