You never know
Every morning we open our eyes to another day of life. We never know if that will be the last such awakening. We take it for granted that another day will dawn for us after this one. There are no guarantees.
Kobe Bryant was 41 years old. In excellent physical condition overall, in spite of the injuries that he'd suffered during his last few seasons in the NBA. He thought it was just another day. Not his last day of life.
I've written in this blog before about how I nearly died in 2010. I did not mention that when I was doing the physical therapy/rehab that got me out of that bed after nine weeks in a coma, one of my inspirations was Kobe Bryant.
He didn't quit. Not once. Yes, his incredible feat of shooting free throws and then walking off of the court under his own power after tearing his Achilles tendon was still a couple of years off. But he'd already demonstrated time and again that he kept pushing. No amount of effort was too much for him.
Now he's gone. But his example is coloring my thought process at the moment. I received some disturbing news just over a week prior to his passing. It seemed like just another one of those ordinary days. I was seeing my new primary care physician for the first time. He decided on the spur of the moment as we were wrapping up my visit, to send me for an EKG.
The first hint something was amiss was when I was asked to wait for my doctor to come and speak to me about the test. Normally when a test like this is normal, they send you on your way. A few minutes later the doctor appeared. "The EKG shows you've had a heart attack."
How did I have a heart attack and not know it? It is called Silent Myocardial Infarction. The following day I had some minor chest pain while at work. In the past I'd have "powered through" and finished the day. Instead I headed to the ER immediately. There had been no additional heart attack. Last Friday I had an echocardiogram. They did not make me wait for the doctor to analyze the results. I'm guessing if something seriously wrong was visible, they would have kept me there.
But that doesn't mean I am not a bit nervous.
I will continue to follow the example of Kobe Bryant. To live life to the fullest. To try to help others, which I do through my work. And to never, ever, quit.
Kobe Bryant was 41 years old. In excellent physical condition overall, in spite of the injuries that he'd suffered during his last few seasons in the NBA. He thought it was just another day. Not his last day of life.
I've written in this blog before about how I nearly died in 2010. I did not mention that when I was doing the physical therapy/rehab that got me out of that bed after nine weeks in a coma, one of my inspirations was Kobe Bryant.
He didn't quit. Not once. Yes, his incredible feat of shooting free throws and then walking off of the court under his own power after tearing his Achilles tendon was still a couple of years off. But he'd already demonstrated time and again that he kept pushing. No amount of effort was too much for him.
Now he's gone. But his example is coloring my thought process at the moment. I received some disturbing news just over a week prior to his passing. It seemed like just another one of those ordinary days. I was seeing my new primary care physician for the first time. He decided on the spur of the moment as we were wrapping up my visit, to send me for an EKG.
The first hint something was amiss was when I was asked to wait for my doctor to come and speak to me about the test. Normally when a test like this is normal, they send you on your way. A few minutes later the doctor appeared. "The EKG shows you've had a heart attack."
How did I have a heart attack and not know it? It is called Silent Myocardial Infarction. The following day I had some minor chest pain while at work. In the past I'd have "powered through" and finished the day. Instead I headed to the ER immediately. There had been no additional heart attack. Last Friday I had an echocardiogram. They did not make me wait for the doctor to analyze the results. I'm guessing if something seriously wrong was visible, they would have kept me there.
But that doesn't mean I am not a bit nervous.
I will continue to follow the example of Kobe Bryant. To live life to the fullest. To try to help others, which I do through my work. And to never, ever, quit.
posted by me at 5:28 PM
