We never know

This afternoon as I was cleaning out my Xterra from today's show our Mail man arrived with the mail. I walked out to meet him, and asked how he was doing.  He and his wife live just down the street, so we've gotten to know each other pretty well.

Imagine my surprise when he replied, not too well. Now this is a man who is always chipper and positive.  My heart literally broke when he told me today was his first day back in a month. His wife had passed away. She was only 44 years old.

They recently found out she had an enlarged heart and her Doctor was trying to get it under control. She passed away suddenly of Congestive Heart Failure.  I've had this blue funk cloud over my evening after hearing the news.
This has brought back many memories for me as well. As a teenager I was a CHF patient. When I hear of anyone suffering from CHF I empathize as I remember how I felt all the times I struggled to get mine under control.  For years I randomly coughed blood and we never knew why. It was discovered when I was 17 that the pressure inside my heart and lungs was 6 times higher than it should be. This high pressure was  causing my blood vessels to bust and I was literally drowning in my own blood. Not everyone has this same issue with CHF.. Most retain fluid and take diuretics to control the fluid retention. Symptoms are swollen feet, ankles, hands, etc.  I was always one of those lucky people that it never showed , asypmtomatic. That is until it was at a critical stage.

At one point I remember driving myself to the ER only to discover it was CHF rearing it's ugly head again.  Note to self- Do not driver yourself to the hospital at 3AM and then call to ask your parents if they can come and get you.  Or at least hold the phone very far from your ears. Lesson learned.. Call Mom & Daddy first.

Please take a moment to remind yourself that not all health defects show themselves, and give that stranger a smile or a helping hand. It may just make their day..And please say a little prayer for my Mail man Tim to help him through this rough time..