Reflection

My dad's 89th birthday will be in two weeks.

Dad was 54 when he died.

As a child, a bout with rheumatic fever left him with a heart murmur.

Shortly after accepting a commission in the US Army, in 1943 he suffered a heart attack, and spent some time in the hospital.

Because his heart problem was there before enlisting in the Army, his commission was revoked, and he was discharged with an honorable discharge.

It appears he was able to live problem free for quite a while.

In 1973 he suffered a major heart attack, and spent a week or so in the hospital. He was placed on 100% disability, for one year,due to the severity.

Around the time the year was up, he and my mother, made a trip back to their home, to visit relatives.

It was to be the first time dad had been with his mother in many years. I am told they had a really good reunion.

Within a couple of weeks after returning home, dad was hit with a massive heart attack, and was dead before he hit the ground.

Juxtaposed against this was his dad, who died at age 34, due to cancer.

Back in 1920, we didn't know much about dealing with cancer, and therefore, I am told, after much painful living, he finally succumbed to the disease.

My dad was a year and a half old.

Many today, attempt to have us believe that medical care in the US is abyssmal...

Had grandpa been living in this day and age, who knows how much longer he would have lived?

Had dad lived just a few years longer, he might have been able to take advantage of the breakthroughs in heart care.