remindmeofthe | (no subject)

So I found a voice mail from my mom at quarter of three this morning just saying, "Call when you get this, I have to tell you something."

We all know what a message like that means. I didn't call until this morning, because if it was a crucial enough situation for a phone call at quarter of three in the morning, I was on AIM all night. Someone would have IMed me.

But yeah. I spent some really entertaining moments before I fell asleep speculating on who had died. Turns out it was my Uncle Lee. He and his family are out in California, and I only ever met the man a couple of times, so there isn't a big grief here like there was with Grandpa. This was my biological father's family, though, and he died when I was a baby. I'm more worried about Nana. That's two of her children she's outlived. I haven't seen her in a couple of years, since staying in contact with her is a pretty one-way thing and I got tired of making all the effort, but obviously some things are more important. So I called and left a message for her to call me when she's up to it.

Anyway. Macabre highlight of the conversation with Mom, ie, Humor: A Coping Mechanism.

Mom: "It was - have you heard of sarcoidosis?"
Me: "Yes. I watch House. I've heard of it in every episode."

Mom also watches House, so she was just like, "Oh, yeah."

I don't know exactly what sarcoidosis is, but it is apparently something white men don't tend to die from. Which, if you knew how quirky that part of my family, and Uncle Lee in particular, has always been, you would agree with me is somehow appropriate.

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I can't even imagine how painful it must be to outlive TWO of one's kids. How awful. I don't even know your grandmother but my heart really goes out to her.

Yeah. I worry. My mom has said before that she never properly dealt with my father's death, either.

I think sarcoidosis is what Bernie Mac had, IIRC.

Sorry about your uncle, though.

Wasn't it pneumonia?

It was complications of pneumonia made worse by the sarcoidosis, IIRC.

ETA

In the sense that he wouldn't have died if he didn't also have sarcoidosis.

Edited 2008-09-23 16:53 (UTC)

Sort of, not but exactly related. My friend Frank was very sick last year and it was suspected to be everything from cancer to Hep C. The final diagnosis turned out to celiac disease. Frank isn't a House fan, so he had no idea why I told him he was lucky he hadn't killed his kid, especially since he doesn't have children.

House: Ruining people's ability to take severe illness seriously since 2004.

(Why do I still not have a House icon?)

Why indeed? Feel free to steal any of mine. :)

MS is the new Lupus!

Sorry for your loss, especially as it concerns your grandmother. :-(

Thank you.