A personal n.b./commentary:
Life/death - my brother-in-law departed this life last week less than a month after he entered the hospital and was diagnosed with stage-4 lung cancer almost identical to a dear friend several months ago. The pain from the metastasis in his spine was terrible. Apparently, preventive early detection of lung cancer is something that our industrial-medical system is unable or unwilling to do. Early detection in non-smokers is particularly difficult and is currently only possible with a CT scan and those - of course - cost money and are generally not possible under insurance programs. Research continues on a chemical marker i.e. DNA bit in this case, but it is far from being useful yet.
D... had an additional health/medical problem which is not normally admissible in open society and which has very limited possibilities of being addressed through our current healthcare system. He was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder more than 20 years ago. The mental illness essentially destroyed his life as it was to that date - family and High School coach. He lost almost all of his close personal relationships - family, relatives, friends - and his ability to be gainfully employed because of the effect of the illness resulting in his inability to manage in society. He is a real life example of the inadequacy of our mental health care institutions with the default being prisons and that at least 25% of our prison population is mentally ill. He also lived the real case that our judiciary, in general, is ignorant of how best to address mental illness. Legal aspects related to support are daunting.
But he also demonstrated the importance of having someone to support and care regardlessly. His sister was his principal support and caregiver for the past 20 years. The past ten years he achieved a measure of peace because he became close friends with a person with schizophrenia and they became very close and mutually supportive. With the death of D..., we are all concerned how his friend will be able to cope with the loss. Also the church stepped up and provided a major contributory support through his involvement in a small group activity.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.
--- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Little Prince
A couple of personal requests:
Please be considerate and supportive for those with mental disorders - advocate for them. They are still too much in the closet.
Please be considerate of your loved ones and complete the necessary end-stage documents for yourself so they know your wishes. We were most fortunate that less than a year ago D... signed the documents providing his sister with the necessary legal status to make decisions - Advance Directive/Healthcare Power of Attorney, Living Will, Durable General Power of Attorney, Authorization for Release of Medical Information. It would have been tremendously more difficult without these papers. They have to be in writing, medical facilities are much more careful now - oral references have no legal status. States differ in some requirements - some require a separate Do Not Resuscitate document. Don't put it off - do it now.
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These are some items that jumped at me during the past week.
Labor Day - I liked this - change - questions - e.g. how do we act/address when - expertise is not learned but Googled? - James Carroll ---
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Preventive detention - Ashcroft - maybe there will be justice - Obama - please don't go down that path ---
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How long are we going to continue to allow Israel to thumb their nose at us or give us the finger - take your choice - unacceptable - but we'll probably give in again ---
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I liked this by a retired military officer - there are less steroids in baseball now - can we eliminate some of the steroidal military display? - how we are more a military country rather than a civilian country now - macho militarism - steroidal patriotism - why? ---
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This is the leader of one of our two political parties? - has he - they? - no shame? - this is the image they want to project of the US? ---
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Fight for us Mr. President - as only Bill Moyers can say it ---
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Once again we're in 'good' company - Iran - holding journalists without charge - Iraq - Reuters - so much for Iraqi sovereignty - so much for Iraqi controlling themselves - so much for 'our' image ---
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US ranks poorly on child welfare - why? - we're with Mexico - maybe it's in the water ---
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Missing Nixon - Paul Krugman - I agree - Nixon was the last liberal Prez - can you imagine today's Congress passing EPA? - me neither - what would happen if Obama (NIxon) went to Iran (China)? - even with a Democratic majority - sad ---
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Executing an innocent person - how many more? - how long will we tolerate this? ---
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Adoption racket - better than abortion? - risk-damage to mother may be the same ---
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A really great editorial by Rabbi Lerner - make Obama the Obama you voted for and want to succeed ---
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Mass. claims universal healthcare coverage - cuts back on immigrants coverage - but for some reason this isn't rationing - HUH? - what else is new? ---
zzzzzz
60s/80s - really great - rain? - fall is here? - coming
