Anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows that I hate politics. I don’t watch the news. I like to be as uninformed as I can possibly be. But for some reason, once this whole Iraqi Freedom thing started I was drawn to one reporter in particular who worked for NBC – I looked forward to his updates and even went so far as to make him my newest fake boyfriend. I had seen him on the weekend edition of The Today Show and always liked the way he carried himself and dealt with those he interviewed. He seemed like a really nice man. Thus, when he got all macho and covered in dirt a few weeks ago he was moved up to Fake Boyfriend Status.
So imagine how shocked I was when I heard the news that David Bloom had died over in Iraq. At first, when Denis told me, I feared he had been shot, bombed, executed – any number of things. But hearing he had a pulmonary embolism didn’t make it any better. I was very saddened to learn of the loss of this great communicator. As I told Denis, “He’s my Walter Cronkite,” meaning I have the utmost respect for him and his work.
David Bloom
1963-2003
This is what my first husband died of..at the age of 33.
Oh, my goodness, Christy, you and I have never met but I am so sorry. That must have been devastating. It is a wake-up call for all of us who don’t get up and walk around on long flights or car rides…
David Bloom came across to me as a beautiful, devoted family man with a ready smile and delightful personality. A life of potentiality snuffed out too soon…
Maybe I missed something, but what do long flights or car rides have to do with David Bloom or pulmonary embolism? I’m confused. I might be wrong, but I don’t think getting up and walking around on plane rides is going to save anyone with pe. Please correct me if I don’t know what I’m talking about, which is frequently.
PE is basically a blood clot that starts in the veins in a leg and it shoots up into the lungs, causing death. Those clots are started when people are in cramped spaces for long periods of time – airplane seats, small cars, etc. Bloom had that little car thing he was tooling around in the desert in, it was cramped and he probably didn’t get out of it very much on some days. So a clot must have developed and caused his PE. Very sad…
Thanks for the info, but doesn’t it go deeper than that? Aren’t you born with the propensity for pe? If it was just a matter of staying motionless in a cramped space, wouldn’t people be dying of this left and right? I agree, it is a sad loss. He was a good guy, what I saw of him on TV. He threw a football like a girl, but that doesn’t make him a bad guy.
denis, that last comment was harsh. a man has died. Who cares how he threw a football? On my own blog, I also mentioned how David Bloom had been one of the reporters I had most trusted in the last few years. And I will choose to remember his attempt at making cotton candy on Weekend Today as the funniest thing I ever saw him do. Jen is feeling the loss, so am I. As for PE, ANYONE can suddenly suffer from this. a blood clot forms, and if it moves and gets to your lungs, that’s it.
Virginia, I wasn’t being insensitive. I am just trying to understand the ailment. If you read all of my comment, you’ll see, I liked him too and thought the world was better for having known him. Hope you understand that. I’m sorry for anyone who suffers from this terrible medical ailment. Thanks.
Denis, Virginia is right – ANYONE can get pulmonary embolisms. And just because it doesn’t hit EVERYone who is stuck on a 24 hour flight with nowhere to go doesn’t mean that you can’t possibly be effected.
As for the comment about football, I appreciate the attempt at humor, but it falls a bit flat when you consider that he was only 39 years old and in perfect health. Which shows that a PE can happen to anyone.
I’M even a possible target for a PE because of my pregnancy – with my swollen feet and such I’m prone to blood clots that can also travel up to my heart…and I’m not stuck on a plane, I’m living my daily life.
According to this website:
http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic490.htm
“Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an extremely common and highly lethal condition that is a leading cause of death in all age groups. A good clinician actively seeks the diagnosis as soon as any suspicion of PE whatsoever is warranted, because prompt diagnosis and treatment can dramatically reduce the mortality rate and morbidity of the disease. Unfortunately, the diagnosis is missed far more often than it is made, because PE often causes only vague and nonspecific symptoms.”
And from here:
http://health.yahoo.com/health/encyclopedia/000132/0.html
“Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Pulmonary emboli are blockages of the blood vessels of the lungs (pulmonary vessels). Most often, they are caused by blood clots from the veins, especially veins in the legs or in the pelvis (hips)… The most common cause of a pulmonary embolism is a blood clot in the veins of the legs, called a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Many resolve on their own, though some may cause severe illness or even death. The risk factors include prolonged bed rest or inactivity (including long trips in planes, cars, or trains), oral contraceptive use, surgery (especially pelvic surgery), child birth, massive trauma, burns, cancer, stroke, heart attack, heart surgery, and fractures of the hips or femur.”
As I read Cootiehog I learn more and more about PE. Thanks to everyone for educating me. I don’t think my football comment was an attempt at humor. I saw a Weekend Today show where he must have thrown eight footballs at a tire and kept missing. It was more of an observation (albeit, misplaced) than a crack.
I will reiterate. I hope no one gets a deadly clot. PE or any other kind. I’ll go back to reading Fluid Pudding’s blog now.
Poor Denis!
That’s okay. I’m married. I used to being treated like this. Usually Jane just tunes me out. It’s nice to actually have people listen to you once and awhile, even if they disagree.
Heh. I’m steering clear on that one…
As often as I get attacked, you’d think I’d learn to just shut up or agree with popular opinion. Jane ignoring me is not all her fault. If I had to listen to all the stuff I said, I’d ignore myself most of the time too.
Way to make me look good, Denis. It’s not as if I ignore you all the time! sheesh!
It’s hard to put a number on it, but I’d say she ignores me half the time. Maybe this will be one of those times. *lol*
What do you mean “I’ll go back to reading Fluid Pudding’s blog now”?!?! Is that some type of insult? Don’t even THINK about making fun of how I throw a football!!! (Insert sarcastic smiley face thing right here…)
No insult. Just the best blog on the planet. And would I dare insult a woman who’s 9-plus-months pregnant? I’ve got my own living at home with me.
Congrats on the house! And hurry up with Pudding Pop. Summer’s almost here. You can’t tell by our local weather, but it is.
My long-time partner of 25 years passed away on 11-30-04 – He developed a Blood Clot in his lung. He lost his job in October of 2002 and was very sedentary the past year. He went from the recliner watching tv to his desk searching on the PC for a new job. The day after thanksgiving he began to have trouble breathing. I got him to his Dr. who had me rush him to the hospital where he was diagnosed. They put him on large doses of Heparin and he was doing well to the point that the second day they were going to take him out of Intensive Care. I visited him in the morning and left for an hour. When I got back they worked on him for an hour, but he was gone. The nurses told me that he started to feel nausea and then started sweating profusely. He was the LOVE OF MY LIFE!