while most of them are well written, i don’t read many of Tom’s editorials on his shop website, at least not in their entirety. with this one (link), however, i read every word.
holy sh*t.
i’d say mr. Demerly had a close one, and that’s putting it mildly. the title, ‘die another day’, says it all. while i understand that Tom’s heart defect may have been a factor for his stroke, this is a great time to remind anybody that’s interested that exercise and youth gives us quite limited protection from stroke. a stroke is primarily caused by a blockage in a blood vessel that supplies the brain. if part of the brain loses blood flow due to the blockage, eventually that part of the brain will die and the person will often lose the functionality provided by that area of the brain. sometimes, some of the functionality can be regained if another area of the brain is able to ‘take over’ what was lost. emphasis on the word, sometimes.
anyway, one thing to be aware of in the very-well-fed usa, is that diet plays a big role in reducing (or increasing) the likelihood of stroke). peer-reviewed scientific research including numerous autopsies performed on 20-year-old american soldiers (battlefield casualties) and some autopsies performed on skinny and fit endurance athletes have shown that both groups can have very significant occlusion in the blood vessels supplying both the brain and the heart. the primary suspect in this occlusion: the typical american diet. other research (link) have shown that diets with a much larger component of plant-based foods can protect populations from the incidence stoke. the bottom line: staying fit ain’t enough.
glad you made it ok, Tom.
stay alive and stay healthy.
