Save a life: Check your stuff

By Chuck Thompson | The Sunday Column

OPINION — On June 21 October 27 stopped being just my birthday. It became a milestone because I simply get another birthday.

This column isn’t about saying ‘it’s my birthday,’ it’s about being thankful that I’m here to celebrate what this birthday means to me.

I get to complain and make jokes about turning 48 and most importantly, I get to wake up that morning... That’s a great birthday present.

There was a time when I probably wouldn’t have thought much about any of that because birthdays are birthdays.

But when you come close to losing your life, permanently, you develop a different appreciation for simply having it.

We spend so much time worrying about what we don’t have that we sometimes forget to be thankful for what we do: Our life.

I’m thankful for the friends and family who checked on me.

I’m thankful for the doctors, nurses and emergency medical professionals who did what they do, and for the people in my life who helped me when I couldn’t quite help myself.

I’ve had some difficult days. It’s hard to admit but I’m not ashamed of it. There’s a lot of things to process for anyone who has experienced dying.

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, so here’s the part where I become the guy that gives you some unsolicited health advice and you roll your eyes.

Go to the doctor. Get your blood pressure, cholesterol and your heart checked.

Talk to your doctor about your family history. Get all the tests you’re supposed to get. Check your stuff.

If something doesn’t feel right, don’t convince yourself that you’re just tired, stressed (it’ll pass) or getting older or having a bad day or wonder why your torso is on fire and why your back hurts.

I’m not a doctor (obviously), I’m just a guy who got a very serious reminder that the human body is not particularly interested in our personal plans.

So maybe have the salad occasionally. Eat a few more vegetables.

I would much rather be the columnist who tells you to have the cheeseburger but, unfortunately, I’ve learned that cheeseburgers apparently have opinions about longevity.

Pay attention to what you’re putting into the biological vessel that has to carry you around for several more decades.

You don’t have to become a health food nutball (I’m not, but I do eat much better than I used to) and life is too short to never eat a piece of birthday cake.

The trick, apparently, is making sure you live long enough to actually eat the birthday cake.

Go to the doctor, and also try to lower your stress.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving me another chance. I’m going to get there one day; I’m going to reach out for the other side and enter into the place He has prepared for me, but not yet.

As Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

Special shout-out to all the October birthday babies. I hope this year’s adventure around the sun is the best one yet for you.

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