I feel very strongly for you. I'm in the midst of finishing my doctorate, but it seems a long distance off. I've had some lucky breaks, but the idea of simply having time off sounds heavenly, given where I am at.
But enough about me. Let me tell you a bit about my friend Mike.
Mike had Type I diabetes. He knew from his early teen years that he didn't have a lot of time. His sweetheart Elise told me once that he had gone to read the Merck Manual about his condition when he was a teen, and found out that he wasn't expected to live much past 30. A smart guy, VERY smart, he was actually a drop-out from college - finding the rat-race not to his taste.
So he went and wrote. In fact, he wrote a lot. And travelled, going to London, Europe and many other places. And racked up some really impressive debt. So much so that when I met him later, he was dodging creditors' phone calls much of the time.
His health wasn't the greatest. He eventually had his gall bladder removed (IIRC), listing me as next-of-kin (I was flabbergasted, but then found out he wasn't very close to his own family of birth). Then there was the eye surgery, the heart attacks, the peritoneal dialysis, and eventually the kidney replacement.
During this time, he was a steadfast friend, a sometime gamer, and a constant writer. And he found the love of his life, Elise. And he travelled some more, a goodly amount due to the generosity of his friends and a somewhat stabilized (but still very modest) income. Oh, and the state-sponsored insurance from the state of Minnesota. I can't say that the creditors went away, but they diminished and Mike has some breathing room. During that time, he introduced me to Darklands and a bunch of other games, spun away many a night in pleasant conversation and was always a good friend.
And he lived almost 20 years past that initial sentence of only 30. I'm not trying to tell you that conditions are bad all over, or that somebody had it worse. What I am trying to tell you is that Mike kept on living and loving despite knowing the odds; he kept getting to his feet even when life knocked him down.
(You may have some idea of who I'm talking about; if not, feel free to ask.)
And yeah, I miss Mike. You keep at it - that would be his advice.
no subject
But enough about me. Let me tell you a bit about my friend Mike.
Mike had Type I diabetes. He knew from his early teen years that he didn't have a lot of time. His sweetheart Elise told me once that he had gone to read the Merck Manual about his condition when he was a teen, and found out that he wasn't expected to live much past 30. A smart guy, VERY smart, he was actually a drop-out from college - finding the rat-race not to his taste.
So he went and wrote. In fact, he wrote a lot. And travelled, going to London, Europe and many other places. And racked up some really impressive debt. So much so that when I met him later, he was dodging creditors' phone calls much of the time.
His health wasn't the greatest. He eventually had his gall bladder removed (IIRC), listing me as next-of-kin (I was flabbergasted, but then found out he wasn't very close to his own family of birth). Then there was the eye surgery, the heart attacks, the peritoneal dialysis, and eventually the kidney replacement.
During this time, he was a steadfast friend, a sometime gamer, and a constant writer. And he found the love of his life, Elise. And he travelled some more, a goodly amount due to the generosity of his friends and a somewhat stabilized (but still very modest) income. Oh, and the state-sponsored insurance from the state of Minnesota. I can't say that the creditors went away, but they diminished and Mike has some breathing room. During that time, he introduced me to Darklands and a bunch of other games, spun away many a night in pleasant conversation and was always a good friend.
And he lived almost 20 years past that initial sentence of only 30. I'm not trying to tell you that conditions are bad all over, or that somebody had it worse. What I am trying to tell you is that Mike kept on living and loving despite knowing the odds; he kept getting to his feet even when life knocked him down.
(You may have some idea of who I'm talking about; if not, feel free to ask.)
And yeah, I miss Mike. You keep at it - that would be his advice.