Skip to main content

Ed Bradley Dies!

By now I'm sure that everyone has heard this news already, but that isn't the reason I am posting anything on it.

The fact that he died of chronic lymphocytic leukemia is certainly pertinent to this blog, but what I thought was even more relevant was the fact that very few people, even among his co-workers, were aware of his illness.

What makes some people, myself included, keep such a thing a secret? I know I had my reasons at the time, and while I don't go around announcing to the world that I am sick (unless of course you think of this blog as an announcement to the world), I don't try to hide it anymore either.

Still the fact remains, that many people, who I am in continual contact with, do not know that I have Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

I just thought that was interesting. I can consider myself in the same company as Ed Bradley!
Labels:

Comments

Becky said…
And even though I know, I still forget. I think it's because I don't want to believe it.

It's a double-edges sword. If people knew he was ill perhaps they would have treated him differently, he obviously didn't want that. But then again, those that knew and cared about, that didn't know, have missed an opportunity to let him know how much he meant to them. And now the living are left with this void, the coulda-woulda-shoulda's.

You can never know what another what another person is going through, even if you know, because the information we receive is not the same as the actual experience.

So, perhaps it's a good time to reflect on the words of Philo of Alexandria...

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."
2:09 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...
1 comment
Read more

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...
Post a Comment
Read more