This page is not about what you might think. Everyone has story's to tell about their family and friends. This page is about me, my family, and yes some of my friends.

I started the web site to find someone that I could relate to with Extreme Short Bowel Syndrome. I think I lost sight of others problems in thinking I had some of my own. My fathers family was very large. With 7 uncles and 2 aunts, then with 8 aunts and uncles in my Grandmothers family and 7 in my Grandfathers family I had a very large and close childhood.

My father was the second oldest and I was the third grandchild. Growing up I never had to worry. As some of you (other) old-timers know, families were very close, and Aunt Mable helped look after everyone. Although as children we never thought about age and what could happen. Then one day it started happening.

In five years we had lost twenty of the immediate family. This included my father (at the age of 54), my Grandmother and Grandfather. Cousins, Aunts and Uncles were included. Friends were not excluded. Three of my friends died. Two in car accidents and one with a heart attack. Yes they were young, only in their 20's.

My Grandmother (Mother's side) died of a blood clot on the brain, and my Mother died of breast cancer. After diagnoses, my Mother was given less than a year to live, she out smarted the Doctors and lived two years.

I know this was a long way to what I wanted to say, and I do not want to sound like I am preaching, but then again maybe I am. When you are told you have 90 days to live you do start thinking about your life and everything that has happened.

My point is no one knows the future and even what will happen the rest of the today. I guess I am preaching kindness to your fellow man. Just because someone looks like they are in the prime of life and ready to take on the world is no sign they are. In the case of Short Bowel Syndrome the outcome can be the same as the outcome with a patient with AIDS. Over the years mal-nutrition can and will affect the immune system. When the body does not absorb vitamins a deficiency results. This leads to the body breaking down, our tempers get short, and sometimes we let pain get the better part of us and say or do things we are sorry for later. Yes, it happens no matter what we do or how careful we are.  Although today we look just like the guy next door that goes to work everyday, and plays with the kids on weekends. What will happen tomorrow?

The normal person has heard that we can be "fed" through a tube or IV's. This is true. The things they do not know is that TPN leads to liver and kidney failure. And being fed directly through a tube is no picnic. My uncle was kept alive this way, as are many people today. When the central nervous system breaks down and we cannot breathe for ourselves, we can have our breathing done by a respirator. I know, one of my best friends died on a respirator. A tumor shut down his central nervous system.

For twenty years I worked part time at a funeral home. I have seen and been through about everything you can imagine and some things you do not want to know about. I think for me the worse thing is knowing that tomorrow I will get up and be so tired that I will not think I can go on, and then one day, I will not be able to go on and do the things I would like to do.

Yes I will keep taking the shots, the pills, the blood pressure medicine. I will eat the diet of very low fat, stay away from the salads that I love, and get the bed rest that I need. I can put up with the many, many trips to the bathroom each day. I can even tolerate the setting down to rest after walking 200 feet while trying to shop. The hospital with all the poking and probing can be taken as fun. But please do not make fun of me because I say I do not feel good.
Remember, I was the guy next door.

Oh yes, when my time comes please spare me the indignity of the wires, tubes, and beeping things. Let me go in peace, tell me good bye, and then find someone else to be kind to.