Posted by Keith in Washington on Friday, October 24, 2003 at 6:42PM :
Just about lost my older brother last week. He decided to have a major stroke on his 55th birthday. First one in any part of the family. One of the two carotid arteries in his neck that feeds the brain self destructed (dissection) and sent a clot into his brain. I am lucky to have a brother. He was totally paralyzed on the right side and unable to speak. He has recoved 99% of his mobility and speaks quite well now. However, the high thinking and personality area of the left frontal lobe are affected. He is showing little emotion and really does not answer questions. He also has had problems identifying objects. Doctors are very happy with his progress so far. Time will only tell what will come back and what will change. Daily progress can be seen.
I told him that I was going to kick his butt for giving us such a scare. His simple response was: "It is payback when you scared the heck out of us with that cancer thing" We both agreed not to scare each other again.
My brother and I are somewhat close but use to be a lot closer but it is tough to keep it up when you live in different states. But I do know that there would have been a big hole in my life if he had not made it. He is my closest sibling. 3 out of 4 die from what happened to him. So guys kick your brothers in the butt and tell them you love them regardless of how mad you are at them. Once they are gone you can't do it.
Follow Ups: