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| Reagan, Brady and Shea Had Ice Cream But John Did Not |
Unlike my interactions with Uncle Tinkie, whom I was not close to at all, I was very close with my Cousin John who was the big brother I never had. From John’s dealings with diabetes, I saw first hand what a terrible disease it really is. John battled it for a number of years before his passing from it in 2009. In fact, the very last time I saw and visited him he was in the Richmond Hospital dialysis unit awaiting a procedure. Wish that I had seen him in a more pleasant environment for our final visit, but he was upbeat and seemed ok with what he had to do to continue to fight the disease.
John was a gourmet who loved to cook and to eat. Diabetes then was a doubly cruel disease for him because the illness is so wrapped up in and around one’s diet. For instance, John loved ice cream and I can recall many conversations with him about whether or not he should be eating ice cream given his diabetes. (He ate it regardless what the pros and cons were. Apparently, it appears there is an ongoing discussion with regards to ice cream and diabetes (click here.)
Ice cream or no, John fought a valiant fight against the disease of diabetes. However, the human body can only stand so much churn. As a result of all of the complications arising from the diabetes, John passed at the age of 68 only one year older than Bart was when he left us. Estimates show that approximately 180,000 people die directly from diabetes each year (click here.)
Bart was also a cousin of mine but as with John I always regarded him as an older brother figure in my life. That diabetes plagued both of them is a sad coincidence. I continue to miss both of them each and every day.
Hold your friends close; they won’t always be around.