The Bad News

Last night I got the call. The sister of one of my good friends, Bruce, called to tell me that he had died suddenly Sunday morning. I'm still trying to deal with that information.

She didn't know what killed him, only that it was sudden. He was walking down the steps of his house early in the morning, when he reportedly collapsed. His newspaper delivery man, with whom he had had frequent conversations, called 911 when he found him, but it was too late. I suspect Bruce died of either a heart attack or stroke. He was 63.

Bruce had the exact same medical issues I have: diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. That information stops me in my tracks, and has made me look hard at my own behavior.

I called some friends last night to talk about Bruce's death. One of them reminded me that I had just gone to the doctor yesterday morning, and had received a good report. My blood pressure was 128/72. My cholesterol numbers from the latest lab reports were very, very good. My A1C, which measures blood glucose, was 6.4, which is excellent.

And yet I knew the last month had not been good. I had been dipping into the candy jar on a regular basis. I have taken up drinking cokes as part of my routine. Horrible behavior for a diabetic.

But I've also been doing good things. I'm exercising more, even as the cold weather approaches. Even though it's been a struggle since my insurance company changed my mail-order pharmacist, I've kept the medication going. So I'm doing some things right.

Although I don't know the exact cause of Bruce's death, it's apparent to me that there's a direct relationship to his lifestyle. He is giving me the inspiration to reduce that relationship in my own life.