Go Out and Play!

Recently, several of my loved ones have been in scary health situations. My uncle (he’s technically my husband’s uncle but if you knew this family you’d adopt them as your own as well) was diagnosed with Mad Cow’s Disease. That’s not the technical name, but it’s the one we’re all most familiar with. Basically, as one of our cousins put it, it’s Alzheimer’s on fast forward. Only one in a million people gets this disease, and very little is known about it, except that it is fatal. So I’m afraid this story doesn’t have a happy ending. But it did have a happy beginning, with a wife, five kids, nine grandkids—all beautiful and amazing, a successful career, a lovely home, world travels, spiritual fulfillment, and the knowledge that his life has made such a big difference in the world.

Then, the same day, my backdoor neighbor called to say she had uterine cancer. It was discovered by the fertility doctor. She and her husband have been trying to have a baby for over a decade. In the meantime, they’ve fostered numerous little ones and adopted five. The good news is, the cancer hasn’t spread and a hysterectomy will probably be all that’s necessary. I’m not quite sure how someone can be as positive as she can, but she’s a huge inspiration to all around her.

Finally, one of my favorite people in the world, Anna, is in the hospital. She is sixteen. Her health goes up and down, and I’ve known her long enough to go through several bad bouts with her. The good news is, she’s awake from her (induced) coma and her brain is working just fine. In fact, she is already back to her trickster self. Her best friend Mel came into her hospital room and Anna looked at her quizzically and said, “Who are you?” LOL! She’d almost died and she still has her sense of humor—you gotta love that!
I wanted to end on that high note, as well as what I’m learning along the way. Never take your health for granted. If you’re able, go out and play. Enjoy your life for all it’s worth!