Yes, it does devalue the hard road he has ahead of him and his current suffering because it sounds like you think he has no right to complain about his tragedy since it could have been even worse. Think of it this way - if you were in the kitchen deep frying french fries and that full pan of hot grease fell and burned off most of your feet, how would you react if someone said "At least, you're alive"? Would you see that as caring or as a brush off of your agony and fear of being crippled? It might be true but nobody wants to hear how lucky they are when they're in pain and scared. They don't feel so lucky even they know it could have been worse.