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Lost a great Jets Fan (and mini-rant)


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As the title states, we lost a great Jets fan this weekend.  Bit of a connection here, but my father's cousin's husband - I think that makes him my 2nd cousin once removed.  Regardless, M and I bonded over the Jets, and it was always a pleasure to see him at family gatherings where I could sneak away when I'd had enough family time, or when one particular cousin was bloviating with his next get-rich-quick scheme, and talk Jets or Mets.  M was a bit more of an optimist than me, so our talks were always fun.  I'll miss that - I'll miss it a lot.  The Jets and Mets meant a lot to him, and he lit up at the opportunities to share that passion with anyone.  His kids aren't sports fans, so I was always an opportunity for him to do so.  I texted his wife this morning to offer my condolences and mentioned our Jets talks, and in the typical fashion of the family's humor, she responded, "if he didn’t stress enough, this whole baseball season debacle would have done him in sooner!!!"  It's a sad day for a family losing someone in their early 60s.

As to the rant - please people, take care of yourselves.  I'm sad, but I'm also angry.  M had a bad family heart history.  Still, he was a chainsmoker, an unhealthy eater, and overall, just didn't seem to make his health a priority.  Maybe this would have happened anyway - maybe his early 60s was his time regardless, but I wish he gave himself more of a chance.  He wasn't old enough to see a Jets Super Bowl, and he won't get to see one.  That's nothing in comparison, in my view, to the fact that he's got extremely young grandchildren, one of whom will be lucky to remember him at all, and the other who definitely won't.  His wife is going through some health struggles of her own, and now she'll navigate them largely on her own - M drove her to appointments and was supposed to be the one helping her at this time.  So, please, if you smoke, stop.  If you drink too much, cut down.  If you don't eat healthy, start.  If you don't exercise, make the time.  If you've been putting off doctor's appointments, go.  There's people in this world who will miss you a lot, and many people, like me with M, who's life will be different in small ways, without you.

Be well...

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2 hours ago, ZachEY said:

As the title states, we lost a great Jets fan this weekend.  Bit of a connection here, but my father's cousin's husband - I think that makes him my 2nd cousin once removed.  Regardless, M and I bonded over the Jets, and it was always a pleasure to see him at family gatherings where I could sneak away when I'd had enough family time, or when one particular cousin was bloviating with his next get-rich-quick scheme, and talk Jets or Mets.  M was a bit more of an optimist than me, so our talks were always fun.  I'll miss that - I'll miss it a lot.  The Jets and Mets meant a lot to him, and he lit up at the opportunities to share that passion with anyone.  His kids aren't sports fans, so I was always an opportunity for him to do so.  I texted his wife this morning to offer my condolences and mentioned our Jets talks, and in the typical fashion of the family's humor, she responded, "if he didn’t stress enough, this whole baseball season debacle would have done him in sooner!!!"  It's a sad day for a family losing someone in their early 60s.

As to the rant - please people, take care of yourselves.  I'm sad, but I'm also angry.  M had a bad family heart history.  Still, he was a chainsmoker, an unhealthy eater, and overall, just didn't seem to make his health a priority.  Maybe this would have happened anyway - maybe his early 60s was his time regardless, but I wish he gave himself more of a chance.  He wasn't old enough to see a Jets Super Bowl, and he won't get to see one.  That's nothing in comparison, in my view, to the fact that he's got extremely young grandchildren, one of whom will be lucky to remember him at all, and the other who definitely won't.  His wife is going through some health struggles of her own, and now she'll navigate them largely on her own - M drove her to appointments and was supposed to be the one helping her at this time.  So, please, if you smoke, stop.  If you drink too much, cut down.  If you don't eat healthy, start.  If you don't exercise, make the time.  If you've been putting off doctor's appointments, go.  There's people in this world who will miss you a lot, and many people, like me with M, who's life will be different in small ways, without you.

Be well...

Sorry for your loss brother. RIP M. 

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32 minutes ago, HawkeyeJet said:

Sorry for your loss.  Just a bummer of a deal

This type of story practically makes me tear up because the man you describe sounds an awful lot like my dad and I think about his health more than I’d like these days.

Indeed.

My father got a bad cardio score almost a year back now.  My great grandfather died at 63 of a heart attack, my grandfather at 66, the same, and my father is 66 now.  Fortunately, he did the angiogram and it came back really good, indicating his risk is far less than the score, and it was definitely a wake-up call.  I think about it a lot, and pre-emptively went on statins myself, but I also think about every time my parents are forgetful now.  Just scary stuff.  My kids are 6 and 3, and I can't imagine them growing up with out them.

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4 minutes ago, ZachEY said:

Indeed.

My father got a bad cardio score almost a year back now.  My great grandfather died at 63 of a heart attack, my grandfather at 66, the same, and my father is 66 now.  Fortunately, he did the angiogram and it came back really good, indicating his risk is far less than the score, and it was definitely a wake-up call.  I think about it a lot, and pre-emptively went on statins myself, but I also think about every time my parents are forgetful now.  Just scary stuff.  My kids are 6 and 3, and I can't imagine them growing up with out them.

You know I like to kid but take care of yourself.  I don’t, but I do and all of you should too. 

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26 minutes ago, The Crusher said:

You know I like to kid but take care of yourself.  I don’t, but I do and all of you should too. 

I know we've talked about it before, but I'm glad they're just jokes.

The world needs Crusher in it.

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RIP.  

And thanks for the rant.  It's a good reminder that we owe it to more than ourselves to take care of ourselves.  We will all get left behind and leave people behind.   We owe it to each other to make the time as short as possible.  

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