Dodging the bullet

When Judy came home from the doctor after being given the grim news we walked around the farm together admiring the many flowers that she had planted since she moved here two years ago. It was all I could do to hold back the tears not knowing whether she would live to see her flowers bloom next year.

The worst part was waiting two days for the results of the CTscan to determine if the cancer had spread. On Thursday I called the hospital for the results of Judy's catscan. They said they would fax them to me. Five minutes later I heard the phone ring. Nervously, I stood over the phone waiting for the fax to come through. It was like standing before the jury waiting for the final verdict. Judy was upstairs waiting and not really wanting to know the results. When the first page came out I didn't know where to start reading because I didn't want to read anything bad. Then I saw the phrase, "metastatis is unlikely". With a sigh of relief I ran upstairs and read the good news to Judy that the cancer has not spread. We both shed tears of relief.

Millions of people have had to deal with the same emotions that Judy and I were attempting to deal with last week. It is at times like these that things come into focus very clearly. Suddenly, the little things that used to bother you seem utterly insignificant. You realize that the most important thing in your life is not the things you have, but those whom you love. You know that you would give away every penny you had in order to save the life of a loved one.

Judy's kidney was removed and the doctor said that the cancer had not spread. Treatment was not required. We are greatly relieved and thankful.

The reason I am sharing my personal life with others is to remind everyone not to wait for that wakeup call to realize what is really important in your life. Fortunately, Judy will survive this crisis. However, many people are not so lucky and my heart goes out to those who lose loved ones too soon in life.

Evidently, patient information is still kept manually rather than being computerized. If we are going to reduce medical costs, one of the first steps that needs to be taken is to computerize patient records. This will not only eliminate the repetitive filling out of the same forms over and over again, but it will reduce the clerical effort of processing new patients when they go to a new doctor or hospital.

For those who object to having patient information shared on a common national data base another alternative is to have each doctor or hospital give a patient a floppy disk with their medical record when they leave the office. When they return to the office or even to another office, the patient can give the floppy to medical personnel who can read the information into their computer and then update the information with the treatment received. The patient is then given an updated floppy.

Unfortunately, this approach probably won't work because it is too simple and too practical.

Minonk's Jumbo lost in vain

It is too bad that Minonk had to lose one of its most significant landmarks. It is even worse to realize that it's demise was totally unnecessary and was the result of greed. Greed on the part of the contractors who were looking for a way to cut costs by using shale from a coalmine slagpile rather than dirt.

It will be disastrous to the businesses at the I-39 interchange if the ramps have to be closed down for repairs. Hopefully, the ramps can be repaired without shutting down the overpass. If it is necessary to remove the remains of the Jumbo from underneath the overpass, I suggest that it be deposited right back to where it came from at the north edge of the city. Maybe we can reclaim our beloved Jumbo after all.