Catching a break

Why is it that catching a break in life is always fleeting? Its a give and take with no winners in the end. Getting diagnosed with a disease (negative) its not fatal (positive), need a transplant (negative), get the transplant and everything is going OK (positive), things start to not go exactly as planed (negative). Life is simply a game and no matter what you are only as good as your last outcome. If it is 7 times down and 6 times up then your only option is to get that single up because the alternative is nothing, a loss that will never be made right or continued.