Living on the Edge
A few years ago my family and I went through a most painful loss of a loved one. There were many intense emotions we experienced in the year my brother was ill; shock, then sympathy, followed by anger and then profound sadness. It is something you never quite recover from.
I was fortunate enough to be able to spend about two weeks with my brother and his family prior to his death. Unfortunately during that time I was angry most of the time.
I wanted so much for him to live and felt as though his condition and perhaps the anticipation of death kept him from doing so; easy judgment for me to make having no idea what he and his family were experiencing.
My brother was healthy and did everything right. He and his wife cooked healthy, ate at home most days, lived an active lifestyle and were vigilant in avoiding any products that could be potentially harmful or carcinogenic. They were the ones that first informed me about the detrimental effects of using plastic in the microwave. My brother, Joey, even cautioned me about using chemicals to kill weeds or treat plant diseases.
When they received the cancer diagnosis, he and his wife took advantage of every available medical treatment and clinical trial, and had access to the best doctors in the nation. Still the prognosis wasn’t good. Cancer of the pancreas is typically fatal.
Of course some diseases and cancers just can’t be prevented no matter how healthy a lifestyle you lead. Nothing could have prevented his illness; it just happened. Some people can also be predisposed to have certain medical conditions due to heredity. They have to take the necessary preventative measures to manage the disease.
I share this story because I suspect there are people who spend most of their lives worrying about dying; not at all like my brothers’ circumstances. I am talking about those that seem to expect the receipt of dreadful news as a result of purposeful abuse to the body. These are the people that deliberately test fate by destroying themselves one bad habit at a time.
Whether in anticipation of a possible heart attack, or the lung cancer diagnosis—they are perpetuating the occurrence of something potentially fatal. Do they want to die or do they just like living on the edge?
Most of us either know or have been the one who got the diagnosis, had the pain or had a close call involving a medical issue that perhaps could have been prevented. It makes me wonder how people are able to enjoy living when they must know in their heart their lives may be cut short. Even if there are no immediate signs of danger, their quality of life is most certainly compromised.
I’ve heard comments like, “well, I have to die of something.” Some say they are “fat and happy.” I’ve also heard “I’d rather die early and have enjoyed the things I love.” It doesn’t matter how convincing it sounds, they are only depriving themselves of a good quality life and nothing can compete with that.
If anything in this article resonates with you, don’t wait. If you have a friend or loved one who you suspect may not make it to their next birthday, encourage them to do something before it’s too late. My brother’s death could not be prevented and he wanted to live!
Email comments and excuses to: suzanne_mcginnis@bellsouth.net (excuses may be ignored).