So sorry to hear all your sad news. Comforting hugs being sent your way.
From me, too.
Hugs, big hugs, Rockvillemom.
So very sorry RVM. Thoughts and prayers for your friend’s family & friends. And hoping your father’s pain improves quickly.
Rvm, no need to reply. Just know we are all thinking of you, your friend and his family, and of your parents as well. AM so sorry for the pain and loss you are feeling.
Ditto
@atomom, I’m sorry for your loss as well. I hope you can be a comfort to your SIL and nephews and nieces.
My friend Bill passed away this morning at the age of 52, leaving behind a wife, three young children and tons of friends. I am going to hang on to this wake-up call and use it to improve my life.
I am so sorry about your friend RVM.
My husband had a heart attack at 48. It was a huge wake up call for both of us. We have drastically changed our lifestyle. He has lost 47 pounds since then and in the summer, we do something active every day. It is a rare day when we don’t do something. In the winter, we are less active but try and do something 3 or 4 times a week.
Part of the wake-up call is to take good care of ourselves, but another part of it is to remember to spend time with the people you love.
I’m so sorry RVM. Truly tears are springing to my eyes because I empathize with your pain as a friend of his and his family’s. I know you will be there for them during this difficult time. Be gentle with yourself too. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Thank you. I just cannot believe I am going to his funeral this weekend. Surreal.
I am sorry to hear that RVM, so much on your plate and I can’t imagine what his family is going through. My thoughts are with you and his family. The Serenity Prayer comes to mind (I leave out “G-d” because I am an atheist, but it holds true for everyone)…
Not that this will make anything better, but I had left a company and was told that a few weeks after that, one of my co-workers had a massive heart attack while driving, but he passed out and wrong way crashed a car full of people. 6 people from out of state were killed, a whole family. Conversely another friend was out for a while, and she had been driving to work, and passed by the hospital every day, and as she was almost at work, turned around and went to the ER. She was having a heart attack and they caught it early enough luckily.
Yet you can get an echo and an EKG and they can’t find a blockage (earlier post #43) and then have a heart attack? Scary stuff. I have had echos and stress tests due to an underlying condition, and I feel great that they’ve been okay so far, but am I fooling myself?
Live every day to its fullest - don’t hurt others, but remember yourself first.
RVM, I posted earlier in the year how one of my best friends died at 51. She was a marathon runner, a vegan. Her husband was overwhelmed. The remaining 3 of us planned her clothes, I wrote her obit, we all went to local deli to plan food, and one friend went with the husband to the funeral,parlor to chose casket(she ordered same as what she had chosen). We also bought the flowers for ceremony. Every little bit helps.
I’m so sorry for your loss and sadness, rockvillemom. My condolences to you and the family.
My condolences to all of you who have suffered losses recently. 
Thoughts are with you, @rockvillemom, as you mourn.
So sorry for everyone’s losses.
Hugs to all who have suffered losses recently.
Funeral was amazing - full of both sadness and funny anecdotes. The minister - a childhood friend of ours - quite an impact.
I know not everyone agrees about my concept of the “wake-up” call - but I am determined to use this as a catalyst to weight loss and better health for myself.
And then there is this. My friend might not have died with quicker CPR. He was in his car - windows rolled up and doors locked. A bystander called 911 but did nothing further. By the time EMS got there - and then broke a window - extracted him from the car and used defibrillator - precious minutes were gone. Just sad to think that the same heart attack at a different location might have yielded a different result.
Which brings me right back to needing to be as healthy as possible. I know it brings no guarantee - but I want to know I am making good choices and doing what I can to improve my odds.