DGS49
Diamond Member
I learned yesterday that a bowling acquaintance of mine (76 y.o.) had assumed room temperature.
In gross terms, here's what I know. He went on a hunting trip last year, and apparently was bitten by a tick and contracted Lyme Disease. It resulted in a sort of palsy on one side of his face, which was quite disfiguring, and he was told that it might take as long as a year to correct itself. He seemed to accept this reasonably well. Better than I would.
Later while doctoring with this thing, his doctor located a malignant tumor on that same side of his face. I know not whether this was some sort of bizarre coincidence or an initial mis-diagnosis. It's not important at this point.
When the cancer was diagnosed, the doctor described his prognosis. Surgery to remove the tumor, which would result in a "hole" in that side of his face, which could later be corrected with surgery to take fat from some other part of his body and use it to fill in the hole. He is very athletic and very lean, and the doctor could not even guess at where he would find that ball of fat. And of course, he was looking at chemo, radiation therapy, blah, blah, blah.
He chose an alternate path; call it "Plan B." The following day he put a twelve-gauge in his mouth, pulled the trigger, and resolved the issues immediately.
I have always been a believer in suicide under certain circumstances, and I think George had reached that point. He is divorced and has two adult sons, with whom he was not particularly close. Not estranged, exactly, but not close.
There has been no obituary published in the usual places, but a "gathering" has been arranged by word of mouth, ten to twelve tomorrow morning. I understand that his cremated remains will be on hand.
I can't think of any good reason why he would have chosen "Plan A."
In gross terms, here's what I know. He went on a hunting trip last year, and apparently was bitten by a tick and contracted Lyme Disease. It resulted in a sort of palsy on one side of his face, which was quite disfiguring, and he was told that it might take as long as a year to correct itself. He seemed to accept this reasonably well. Better than I would.
Later while doctoring with this thing, his doctor located a malignant tumor on that same side of his face. I know not whether this was some sort of bizarre coincidence or an initial mis-diagnosis. It's not important at this point.
When the cancer was diagnosed, the doctor described his prognosis. Surgery to remove the tumor, which would result in a "hole" in that side of his face, which could later be corrected with surgery to take fat from some other part of his body and use it to fill in the hole. He is very athletic and very lean, and the doctor could not even guess at where he would find that ball of fat. And of course, he was looking at chemo, radiation therapy, blah, blah, blah.
He chose an alternate path; call it "Plan B." The following day he put a twelve-gauge in his mouth, pulled the trigger, and resolved the issues immediately.
I have always been a believer in suicide under certain circumstances, and I think George had reached that point. He is divorced and has two adult sons, with whom he was not particularly close. Not estranged, exactly, but not close.
There has been no obituary published in the usual places, but a "gathering" has been arranged by word of mouth, ten to twelve tomorrow morning. I understand that his cremated remains will be on hand.
I can't think of any good reason why he would have chosen "Plan A."
