I've not ever been one who thought his parents were immortal. I mean, I never pondered their last days either, but always knew that like everyone else they would eventually pass on. That being said, it's been an odd health year for them and others in my small sphere of friends and acquaintances. And as we all dive into year-end/year-start thoughts and hopes and dreams, sickness and health seem to be crowding my mind more than anything else. I don't mean for this to be a litany of illnesses but in my less-than-concise manner it builds to my supposition and offer of good health for the new year.
I often refer to my dad as the poster boy for early detection. Now 82, he's had two bypass surgeries, but not a heart attack. So his arteries were cleaned up before his heart muscle was ever weakened. He's had two bouts of lymphoma but both were discovered very early and bombed out without him having much in the way of side effects. He just says he doesn't need to shave very frequently any more. (Lucky guy.) But a fall, a bump on his head, seizures and basically the entire month of August in the hospital for him this year have him sounding even more fatalistic during our phone calls than usual.
On the other side, my mom is probably in better shape than me as she closes out her seventh decade. She lives at altitude (~8000 ft), snoeshows in the winter, hikes in the summer. Or, "walking uphill" as she likes to call it. She has become the adventure traveler over the last decade: sea kayaking off New Zealand, hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and taking several treks in the Himalayas. The most recent trip to Nepal ended about a month ago and she came back with a bout of pneumonia that has taken a fistful of antibotics to knock out.
One degree of separation away, a longtime family friend passed away after a short bout with cancer. Less than a year later, her widower is battling colon cancer. Friends were either hospitalized around Christmas, or provided yet more fistfuls of meds, or generally poked and prodded on behalf of the medical-industrial complex. Or all of the above. On a side note, sort of, one of these folks sent out the oft-repeated acknowledgment to those who have donated blood. Do as I say, not as I do as I always faint when I have blood drawn, but I may need to re-visit this in the new year.
So as 2011 comes to a close, I'll loft out the bromide of wishing everyone health in the new year. But it's genuine and as I like to say, health is the key. So take care of yourselves and straight on for the days ahead.
I often refer to my dad as the poster boy for early detection. Now 82, he's had two bypass surgeries, but not a heart attack. So his arteries were cleaned up before his heart muscle was ever weakened. He's had two bouts of lymphoma but both were discovered very early and bombed out without him having much in the way of side effects. He just says he doesn't need to shave very frequently any more. (Lucky guy.) But a fall, a bump on his head, seizures and basically the entire month of August in the hospital for him this year have him sounding even more fatalistic during our phone calls than usual.
On the other side, my mom is probably in better shape than me as she closes out her seventh decade. She lives at altitude (~8000 ft), snoeshows in the winter, hikes in the summer. Or, "walking uphill" as she likes to call it. She has become the adventure traveler over the last decade: sea kayaking off New Zealand, hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and taking several treks in the Himalayas. The most recent trip to Nepal ended about a month ago and she came back with a bout of pneumonia that has taken a fistful of antibotics to knock out.
One degree of separation away, a longtime family friend passed away after a short bout with cancer. Less than a year later, her widower is battling colon cancer. Friends were either hospitalized around Christmas, or provided yet more fistfuls of meds, or generally poked and prodded on behalf of the medical-industrial complex. Or all of the above. On a side note, sort of, one of these folks sent out the oft-repeated acknowledgment to those who have donated blood. Do as I say, not as I do as I always faint when I have blood drawn, but I may need to re-visit this in the new year.
So as 2011 comes to a close, I'll loft out the bromide of wishing everyone health in the new year. But it's genuine and as I like to say, health is the key. So take care of yourselves and straight on for the days ahead.
