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The beneficiary of "luck," but, also modern medicine - Date with fate post 85
This entry was posted on 12/21/2011 1:30 AM and is filed under Fate Fairies.
One cant' help speculating on how interesting it might have been to have lived back at some other point in history. Say, during the American Civil War, or during our Revolutionary War, or back in the days of my home state Wisconsin's early evolution into American expansion.
Then I am jolted into reality.
There would have been no antibiotics, no heart medicine, no blood thinner. There would have been notions about fault and behavior regarding patients and their illnesses; notions we now realize are incorrect. There would have been no Veterans' Hospital, no health insurance, and no emergency rooms.
In short...., I would have died at 17 years old.
For decades while struggling with bouts of blood clotting, phlebitis, allergic reations, and heart arrhythmias, some doctors blamed me. They often accused me of, "doing something to cause the clotting episodes," and hence, therefore agitating the other conditions.
Finally, in 2001, a hematologist from University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, said simply, "Mr. Keith, do you realize this condition is genetic and you were born with it?"
For all those decades In the mean time prior to the hematologist's revelation, there is no good explanation as to why I did not die for good. I came close many times. On more than one occasion, I was told by doctors to say good-bye to my loved ones and make piece with my lot in life. As well, Heide was told on the same occasions that I would not make it. On at least two occasions, I was not expected to wake up the next morning. I was always surprised on awakening to see a befuddled doctor and my poor wife sitting next to the bed.
Having lived almost 60 years with these challenges, I have seen the medical philosophies on patient care take quite a turn. Years ago I was plopped in a wheel chair and then told not to leave the bed for weeks on end. Decades later, the docs would preach that medication was the key, and getting up and back in the mainstream almost immediately was the ticket as being sedentary was the "worst treatment" one could engage in.
Back when I was a kid, the aforementioned health conditions were completely missed as I played four years of high school football. To add to the irony, I was allowed to serve three years in the Army Combat Engineers, one of the most dangerous and physically rough designations in the United States military. I often wondered why I got so tired and winded. And, I spent two long bouts in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H.) unit near the "Iron Curtain" with what now apparently were precursors of the blood and heart complications that would plague me for the rest of my life.
The fact that I am sitting here plunking out one last vignette in this book is testimony to being fortunate enough to be a beneficiary of new medicines, treatment philosophies, equipment, and technologies. Right up to just recently, for generations people have routinely died from my conditions. I drive quite a distance to go to a teaching clinic as they like to have the medical students look at someone with this shit that has actually survived. They also dote over me.
But there is one last caveat to my situation. I am not foolish enough, arrogant enough, or detached from reality enough to discount that brutal fact that I have been...,
....really fuck'n lucky.
Note: This blog "Fate Fairies" Category does not list the brushes with fate chronologically - I write about the experiences as they pop up in my memory and I often revisit an older event. Go to the Cooldadiomedia Web site and the Fate Fairies Page for an ordered chronology.
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
Army Major Andrew James Olmsted, 37, Fort Carson and Colorado Springs, Colorado, died on Thursday, January 3, 2008, in As Sadiyah, Iraq. He was one of two soldiers killed when their unit was attacked by insurgents using small arms fire. Major Olmsted was assigned to the Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based out of Fort Riley, Kansas.
The Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs notes Major Andrew Olmsted's parents reside in Grafton, Wisconsin.
The Web site en.wikipedia.org notes Major Olmsted's unit was working with the 5th Iraqi Army Division. Also killed in the attack was Captain Thomas J. Casey. They were the first U.S. Army casualties in Iraq in 2008.
The wikipedia.org site also notes Olmsted was born on February 1st, 1970. He went to St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Major Olmsted's team unit operated from Kirkush Military Training Base ( KMTB ) near FOB Caldwell. His team operated throughout the Diyala Province in support of the Iraqi Army 5th Division. Olmsted was also known for writing a blog from Iraq called From the Front Lines for the Rocky Mountain News. He had made arrangements for a final posting to be published should he be killed in Iraq. He wishes were honored.
The Web site militarytimes.com using information from an article by the Associated press noted Olmsted began writing for the Rocky Mountain News on May 21, of 2007, and described himself as a libertarian. In his spirit of seeing many sides to issues, Olmsed warned against using his death if he was killed in the war, as an argument for or against the war. He wrote in his blog:
"My life isn’t a chit to be used to bludgeon people to silence on either side,....I have my own opinions about what we should do about Iraq, but since I’m not around to expound on them I’d prefer others not try and use me as some kind of moral capital to support a position I probably didn’t support."
It was noted in several articles about Olmsted's death that he quoted Plato in his blog posting, "only the dead have seen the end of war."
The Boston Globe did a profile on Olmsted's blog on their Web site boston.com. They noted Olmsted was a 1987 graduate of St. John's High School and a 1992 graduate of Clark University. Olmsted was originally from Maine, and grew up in Northborough. Massachusetts. Olmsted's father had moved the family to Wisconsin in 1990. Andrew and his brother Eric had been Eagle Scouts.
An obituary posted on legacy.com states Andrew Olmsted was born in Bangor, Maine. He received a Bachelor's Degree in History and Government in college. He was remembered as an avid Red Sox fan; enjoying reading; writing his blog; watching movies; and, playing war games. He also was remembered as loving to go to Disney World. He earned his officer commission through Reserved Officer Training Corps in December of 1992.
Some of Major Olmsted's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart; three Meritorious Service Medals; four Army Commendation Medals; two Army Achievement Medals; the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal; the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star Device; the Iraq Campaign Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; the Korea Defense Service Medal; the Humanitarian Service Medal; the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" Device; the Army Service Ribbon; the Overseas Service Ribbon; the Joint Meritorious Unit Award; the Combat Action Badge; and, the Parachutist Badge. He had been in the military for 15 years.
At the time of his death Army Major Andrew J. Olmsted was survived by his wife Amanda Wilson; his parents Wesley and Nancy Littlefield Olmsted; his brother Eric and wife Corinne Olmsted; his sister Catherine Olmsted; mother-in-law Kathleen Wilson; brother-in-law Ian D. (Gina) Wilson; niece Elisha Wilson; and, grandmother-in-law Ruth A. Wilson.
Army Major Andrew J. Olmsted is the 102nd military service person that has been identified by Cool Dadio Media as having Wisconsin connections and that died in Iraq since the Spring of 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
104,104 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003 (actually documented).
10,125 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,487 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1857 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
973 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
1 American/Coalition casualty in Libyan "Operation Odyssey Dawn" since March, 2011.
32,226 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
592 Wisconsin military service persons have been wounded in Iraq since Spring 2003.
15,090 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
192 Wisconsin military service persons have been wounded in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
107 Wisconsin military service persons have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
36 Wisconsin military service persons have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
3 Wisconsin military service persons have been killed in the U.S. related to "The War on Terror" since September, 2001.
151 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
22 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since September, 2001.
5 journalists (regional and independents) have been killed in Libya since March, 2011.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org .
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