Real Life Drama

So my dear friend ends up taking care of a near drowning victim. She's from an ultra religious family, and they don't accept the concept of brain death.

Brain Death is one of the worst terms ever proferred by ethicists. It really means "death," since no one has ever come back from brain death. Still, to religious kooks, the fact that a heart can be kept beating, even when the brain is essentially jello, gives hope that the Invisible Man in the sky can still swoop down and cure the patient.

My friend's colleagues and nurses are angry at him for not "standing up to the family," and getting the corpse out of the hospital. The family's angry at him for being "too aggressive" in his attempts to explain to them that their beloved daughter is gone, and continuing mechanical support is harmful and hurtful.

I really hurt for him during this time. He's doing everything completely right, both from a medical and a human standpoint, and he's being villified. I hope there's some reward in store, somewhere and somehow.

In a related story, I got a call from an old client who wanted me to take his nephew's case. The young man was in the middle of a burglary, when spotted by the authorities. In attempting to escape, he jumped into a canal and drowned.

I'm not taking the case. I have that option. My friend doesn't.

It's Always something...

Greetings Well Met Fellow, Hail!

The great news is that wifey's returning to the world of the living. Last week her therapist said she's 85% healed, and, by my estimation, that makes her about 89.3% healed by today. Whatever the numbers, we went out to dinner tonight with some neighbor friends, and it was lovely.

The husband is an eminently succesful eminent domain lawyer. Ha. He's a tall handsome Irish-American from Maine, and a former basketball star in his hometown. The wife is a Miami girl and as beautiful inside as she is outside. Talk about blessed: they have 2 boys and 3 girls, all delightful kids and well accomplished. The oldest son paid his way through an Ivy League law school education by international clothes modeling, to give some idea. One daughter is a professional ballet dancer, another a newscaster, and the youngest girl a 4.0 UF pre med Laura Dern look alike who wants to become a pediatrician. Or maybe an endocrinologist, after volunteering this summer at a camp for diabetic kids. The youngest son is a tall, handsome, and charming high school junior who plays in a band, runs cross country, and is going to be best man at his 10 year older brother's upcoming wedding. Do you get the idea this family is a group of winners?

Anyway, we just had delightful laughter and conversation. They're exhibit A in support of one of the things I've come to learn: surround yourself with happy, uplifting winning people, and they elevate you. Try to "rescue" the sad and depressed, and they pull you down.

Life throws us so much misery and trial. When I have the opportunity to socialize, it's going to be only with folks like those we saw tonight .

I want to kvell at their blessings, not lament their failures.

I guess I do gain wisdom with the passing years...

Welcome Reader

As Homer Simpson would say "Stupid Blogsource.com!" I finally joined the blogging community, and they're shutting down. Since I knew nothing about these sites, I merely followed my niece Courtney over here. Speaking of which --hey Courtney --get back on the stick! You got skeels, kid, and you ain't using them!

Anyway, it's Friday night. Daughter #1 had her first classes at UF, and daughter #2 has finished week one of high school sophomore year. Wifey's back is getting better --she's on her way out to meet Sheryl from Boston and some MILFS from Kendall and PInecrest.

I just got off the phone with Barry, who was taking care of a beautiful 4 year old girl, a near drowning victim. Even though his time at the PICU ended, he stayed with the family, just as his literary alter ego Horton would have.

So, compared with THAT poor family, I got no just complaints, as my favorite mediator and retired judge always says.

Welcome, reader!