Life is too short, too often.

[Treebore]

Today I found out that a friend of mine, not a great friend, we gamed together a few times, talked to each other a good bit, enough to know we liked each other enough to call each other friend. Anyway, he died this past monday. He was 25. He died of pneumonia.

I think part of the reason this is hitting me like it is because two years ago the mother of my nephew died of cancer. At the age of 24. So the both of them dying so young, for reasons that could have been prevented if caught early enough, is really getting to me today.

 

[RangerWickett]

I'm sorry for your loss. We should always remember to cherish those we know.

 

[Mark]

My condolences.

 

[Terath Ninir]

My condolences as well.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I'm very sorry.

Please don't neglect yourself during this time of loss, that is very easy to do and it makes recovery hard.

 

[Jdvn1]

I'm sorry.

 

[DaveStebbins]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I lost two members of my high school gaming group, several years apart, before they were 30 to entirely preventable tragedies (they took their own lives).

 

[trancejeremy]

Wow, I'm sorry.

Pneumonia is one of those things that can take a person by surprise. I had it about 5 years ago, and at first you think it's just like the flu. Until one day you can't breathe because your lungs are full of fluid..

 

[Jamdin]

Sorry to hear about your friend's death. I caught pneumonia when I was 2 months old and am lucky to be here now.

 

[Treebore]

From what I understand (he was/is in SC and I'm in CA, so my info is at least 3rd hand) he knew he had the flu or pneumonia, but because he was uninsured he had to wait until it got bad enough to go to the ER and not be turned away. So this on top of asthma since childhood, just overwhelmed his body before the medications the hospital had him on could turn it around. Apparently the hospital didn't even realize how bad he was because he wasn't in ICU, he was in a normal private room, where they found him on the floor.

The reason I relate this to my nephews mother is she had a growth/sore on her hip for months, a doctor at the hospital where she lived diagnosed it as a staph infection the whole time. I was telling my brother to have her get a second opinion because it sounded like cancer to me. She didn't do it until it had spread throughout her whole body. I suspect that even if she had listened when I found out about it that it had already spread, but it may have still been a winnable fight. The additional 8 months guaranteed the loss.

It just makes the loss harder knowing it could have been prevented. Thanks for all the support, it does help.