I’m sad to report that my friend and fellow blogger, Kevin Kim, has suffered a stroke. The good news is that it does not appear to have been a major stroke; at least Kevin is still mobile and functioning well enough to provide a brief update on his blog He’s going to remain in the hospital for a few days for testing and treatment. Here’s to hoping he makes a fast and full recovery.

Now, Kevin is a big guy but he doesn’t smoke or drink and he can and does outwalk me on a regular basis. That makes it all the scarier knowing something like this could happen to any of us at any time. Frankly, a major debilitating stroke like the one Graham of Cheap Charlies suffered is my health nightmare. There are some things that I consider worse than death, a paralyzing stroke would be one of them. Hearing about Kevin has me reassessing if I’m living a relatively healthy lifestyle.

To begin, I am healthier than I once was. I used to be 70 pounds heavier. I smoked for 20+ years, but haven’t lit a cigarette for over seven years now. I do still vape, but that got me off the cigs, and from everything I have read, there is no comparison between inhaling water vapor versus smoke. All those cigarettes did damage my lungs permanently in the form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). I take daily medications and use inhalers to minimize symptoms and it does not appear that my condition has worsened since first being diagnosed in 2017.

I also take daily pills for blood pressure, enlarged prostate, and cholesterol. I monitor my vitals every morning (temp/BP/heart rate) and they are almost always in the normal range. So, for an old fart, I’m doing reasonably well I suppose. I’m keeping my weight around 200 pounds and I walk a couple of hours every day, except Tuesday. I eat reasonably well but don’t deny myself the foods I crave either.

So, that leaves the elephant in the room–my beer drinking. Yes, I do indulge on the days of the week that end in “y”. I don’t really count, but I’m guessing I average around six bottles of beer a night. All the experts say that is too much. Can my poor liver take the abuse? I guess we will find out. Now, in my defense, I do drink low alcohol, low carbohydrate beer. So, my six bottles probably only amount to three of those strong “real beers” some people drink. That’s my story anyway. And really, when I read about the symptoms associated with overindulgence, I’m not seeing it. I mean, I might catch a buzz but I rarely get drunk or suffer hangovers and the like. If anything, I’d say the beer may be contributing to what sometimes feels like early-onset dementia. Nothing major (yet), just things like more frequent typos, forgetfulness, and a reduced attention span. Then again, I don’t aspire to be president and I ain’t nearly as bad as the guy who currently has that job.

Bottom line is you never know when your time will come. I’d really like ten to fifteen more relatively healthy years amongst the living. But I definitely have today and Saturday ends in a “y”, so I reckon I’ll raise a glass to my health tonight.

Get well soon, Kevin!