You can cheat Death, but you can’t cheat Pneumonia
Writing by treason on Friday, 27 of May , 2005 at 10:13 pm
Eddie Albert died yesterday at his home in the Pacific Palisades area, in the presence of caregivers. His son, Edward, was holding his hand at the time. Eddie Albert, an actor who worked a long time and enjoyed a steady career, was probably best known for his role as Oliver Douglas, the transplanted Manhattan lawyer in the TV series Green Acres. Did he mind co-starring with a pig? (I’m not talking about Eva Gabor - I’m talking about the swine, Arnold, who brilliantly portrayed Arnold Ziffel!)
Three things struck me about the death of Eddie Albert. He died well. In his home, with people who cared for him. And second: that he was ninety-nine years old. Born in 1906, the same year as my father, who died in 1970. And third: people can survive almost anything, but eventually Death gets tired of waiting and sends in the big guns. The enforcer. The final nail: Pneumonia.
One day you’re fine, then you slip and fall. Next day you’re in the hospital. Pneumonia pays a visit. And then it’s over. Baby Boomers are becoming aware that their aging parents are living longer than they’d ever expected and in the back of their minds, they’re thinking about the P word. When I’d heard about Eddie Albert, I said it to myself: pneumonia. And then it was confirmed. It must be like taking your old dog to the vet when you know things aren’t going to get better. You hold him close, and tell him what a great, great dog he’s been. You kiss his face and bury yours in his fur. The needle is inserted. Breathing slows, then stops. It’s over.
I know people are suffering terribly with horrible diseases. A friend of mine has MS; several people I know have Parkinson’s; my mother has Alzheimer’s. Will stem cell research cure them? No. Will it help others in the future? Perhaps. There’s evidence to support each side of this issue. I support President Bush’s position. I don’t think there should be federal funding when so many Americans oppose research on moral grounds. But that shouldn’t stop privately owned organizations from using stem cells and experimenting to discover cures to keep people alive…forever? Hmmmm.
It’s a complicated issue and gets even more complicated when you start talking about embryos and what happens to them. Think about what happens to them with In Vitro fertilization. My concern is the same as most Conservatives. Quite simply, we suspect that if most Boomers could clone themselves, engineer the perfect offspring, and euthanize their aging parents, they would. Here’s a group of people who are nearing retirement, are mortgaged up to their eyebrows, have kids in college, and now have the responsibility and financial burden of aging parents. Even if the parents have enough money to support assisted living or even the next level, what if the money runs out?
I sometimes think it would be nice to swing by Krispy Kreme, pick up a couple dozen doughnuts - especially the chocolate covered ones with the vanilla crème filling - then pick up my mother and drive into the mountains, deep into the forest to go feed the bears. They did that in the old days, and what a custom it was. Whatever happened to these traditions?
And that’s precisely way we have certain laws today. I can’t take Mom into the woods. And not just because it would disturb the bears. Instead, I’ll continue to visit her and one day she won’t know who I am. And I’ll continue to visit. And her condition will progress, and she’ll be in horrible pain, taking doses of morphine that would kill some people. Eventually the situation will become - er, no pun intended — unbearable. But I’ll still visit. Then one day Pneumonia will stop by. And it will be over.
If this is a war, Pneumonia is winning.
Category: Uncategorized
- Add this post to
- Del.icio.us -
- Digg -
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
