Unspoken PhD Phenomenon

I am convinced there is a PhD phenomenon that is seldom talked about.

My experience of it is as follows:

My children have grown up, I've retired from a demanding job, my elderly parents are settled, I'm successfully managing a long term condition and life is good.

I decide to do a PhD. Apply, get accepted and off I go.
Since this point my dad gets sick and after 5 months of nursing him at home with my mum and sister he sadly passes away. My children get married within a year of each other, 2 beautiful grand kids arrive,
my 86 year old mother goes through a period of being unwell and hospital admissions with nursing at home follows. My LTC deteriorates and requires treatment on several fronts including hospital admissions and then my newest grandchild arrived before expected in a full scale emergency for for both mum and baby.

So my missing blips are usually the result of these pressures. The most recent being related to difficulties with treatment for the LTC, my mum having a bad fall which resulted in a broken arm and the need for more Florence Nightingale duties.

So the point of my rambling is that while a PhD takes commitment, tenacity, perseverance etc, etc. I realise the biggest challenge of all is how you keep going despite all that is going on around you! How it challenges your values and makes you re-evaluate every aspect of your life. I always conclude that my family's health and well being are much more important than the PhD!

The number of people who have had experiences similar to mine is quite amazing so I reckon it's definitely an unmentioned phenomenon of doing a PhD!!!