This is a wonderful piece of writing. We need to hear from you more often. Carole H. --- William Harshaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I thought the list members might be interested in > the following piece of > mine. > > I would appreciate any comments that anyone would > care to make > > > You might ask, "How does Bill Harshaw cope with > every member of his family > having a chronic medical condition?" (Bill - > Parkinson's, Esther - chronic > progressive Multiple Sclerosis, Howard - ulcerative > colitis, Emily - chronic > depression and an eating disorder and Megan, our > first child dying when she > was one day old). The answer is "in general well, > and some days better than > others." > > Each member of the family has come to terms with > their illness in different > chronological time and in different time frames. > Howard and I have had an > easier time than Esther and Emily because new > surgical procedures were > available to, in Howard's case cure, and in my case > mitigate the symptoms of > PD and colitis. Esther and Emily have to cope with > medical conditions which > have no drug therapy and in which the depression and > eating disorder are > themselves symptoms of a deeper problem > respectively. > > Do I feel that God is testing me? Sometimes I feel > Job-like in my fury. > Then I recognize that there is a significant > hereditary component to each > condition - both my mother and maternal grandmother > had Parkinson's; > Esther's father had Graves' Disease (as did Esther > too) and ankylosing > spondylitis, both of which are immune system > disorders; Esther's mother's > twin sister had multiple sclerosis; and Esther's > mother and Esther and her > siblings have been subject to bouts of severe > depression - which when > combined with a toxin - ranging from pesticides and > fertilizer to stress > and contaminated water, produces a ‘double hit' that > the human body cannot > resist. We live in the double hope that medical > science will discover the > causes and develop cures for these conditions and > that we may have the > courage to live our lives to the full. > > The following paragraphs give the most recent > example of how experience can > aid in building coping skills. > > One morning in early May 1999, our 28 year old son > Howie ‘phoned us to say > that his ulcerative colitis was excruciatingly > painful. We could feel the > pain in the sound of his voice. Howie told us that > he had an appointment > with his gastroenterologist the next afternoon. We > urged him not to wait, > but go to Emergency at once. He did. That > afternoon he was in St. Paul's > Hospital in Vancouver with emergency surgery, an > ileoestomy, scheduled for > the next evening. In the end, four feet - about > one-and-a-quarter > metres - of Howie's large intestine, the whole > thing, would be removed. > > Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease of the > bowel characterized by > sores, ulcers, on the inner surface of the large > intestine, or colon, which > are extremely painful. Digestion is difficult. > Another manifestation of > the disease is a lack of control over bowel > movements. These features, > combined with the medication he was taking having > become toxic had led to > Howie becoming less gregarious and somewhat > reclusive. > > I got the first available flight to Vancouver to be > with Howie. As I > walked into his hospital room, at noon the day after > his operation, he was > asleep. I said "Howie, its Dad. I'm here". He woke > up surprised to see me. > Tears welled up in my eyes as we hugged each other. > I felt very vulnerable. > > Over the next week as we talked, I was thrilled by > Howie's positive > attitude. One statement of his hit home. "I'm > regaining control of my > life!" We had successful surgery for chronic > illness in common. The true > dread of everyone who has a chronic disease is the > lack of control they have > over their life."I hope I can be as successful as > you have been, Dad!". > Where once our lives had been run by the diseases > we, first me and now > Howie, had leading edge high technology surgery. > We have been doubly > blessed with a second chance at life. What we make > of it will determine if > we are worthy. > > I was reminded of Nietzsche's aphorism > > He who seeth the abyss, but with eagle's eye - he > who with eagle's talons > graspeth the abyss: he hath courage > > With chronic disease, you have to be angry enough > with the disease that > you say "I will not permit this condition to run my > life any more." You > must, therefore, not only have been diagnosed with a > chronic illness, you > must experience it for a period of time, which is > unique to every person, > before you can decide. The decision cannot be a > theoretical one." You must > go to the edge of the abyss, look in and decide that > this is not the future > that you want. In T.S. Eliot's play Murder in > the Cathedral the chorus > says: > > we are afraid in a fear which we cannot know, which > we cannot face, which > none understands, And our hearts are torn from us, > our brains unskinned like > the layers of an onion, our selves are lost in a > final fear which none > understands > > And that surely is the point. No one desires the > bottom of the abyss once > you have seen it. The line from Dante's Inferno > bears quotation: "Abandon > every hope who enter here." Hope must never be > abandoned. > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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