A Sentença de Morte

As palavras pareciam saltar dos lábios dela como se estivessem cobertas de chumbo, “Você só tem oito meses de vida.” No início, eu não conseguia acreditar no que estava ouvindo. Era como ter um pesadelo, mas sem dormir.

A médica continuou, “Você irá precisar de um transplante de fígado, e uma terapia intensiva à base de remédios.” Depois do choque inicial, eu rejeitei esta opção. Não! Eu me recusava a virar mais uma estatística. A hepatite C estava tentando me consumir, mas eu não iria me submeter a isso.

Na juventude, parece que tentamos sempre nos convencer de que somos à prova de bala, e que coisas desse tipo “não acontecem conosco”. Mas lá estava eu, rodeado pelos médicos e enfermeiras, sendo observado por todos eles como se eu fosse dizeres em uma lápide. Esse tipo de coisa consegue fazer com que estremeçamos desde o nosso âmago. Eu estava assustado.
Um dos elementos mais poderosos para a minha recuperação foi a minha determinação. Eu não desisti da esperança de que algum dia eu olharia para trás e pensaria, “O Diabo tentou me pegar, e perdeu.”

Todos nós temos escolhas a fazer todos os dias. Eu escolhi viver, não morrer jovem. Você também pode fazer a mesma escolha. Os humanos têm um desejo inconsciente de continuar a viver, mesmo quando enfrentam obstáculos. Eu usei esse desejo para abastecer a minha determinação para vencer esta barreira.
Aprenda o que eu fiz, e como eu o fiz. O propósito deste livro é compartilhar com outras pessoas exatamente o que eu fiz, e como eu as fiz. Esteja munido de determinação para fazer algo de positivo. Hoje os meus médicos estão estupefatos ao ver que eu tenho o fígado igual ao de um garoto de 22 anos!

In Memory of Johnny's Father

This picture was taken in 1997, when I went to my father's 50 Year Medical Reunion and assisted him in all of his activities. A little background on my father...he was born on 9 July 1912 in Muncie, Indiana. He attended local schools and after graduating from Muncie Central High he attended Kenyon College in Ohio, Rollins College in South Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and became an engineer. Later in his career, he graduated from Tulane Medical School during World War II and as a Naval Reserve officer he taught anatomy at Tulane for the war effort to train more doctors. He was a specialist in Tropical diseases and worked with the Hanson's disease clinic near New Orleans. Due to this interest he was part of the consortium who was working to develop antibiotics such as sulfa and penicillin which would change the treatment of many infections as well as Hanson's disease. It was paramount to the treatment of the war wounded as well.

Going to his reunion and meeting his class mates, I was associating with such medical legends as Drs. Alton Oscher, Leon Meier, Flora Finch, Bob Brown, Michael DeBakey, Dr. Herbert, Dr. F. Marascalco and many others. Dr. Michael de Bakey you may remember is the famous Houston Heart Surgeon who operated on Boris Yelson's heart; which was a very successful operation. Bob Brown is not only an excellent Doctor, but he also was one of the New York Yankee's better baseball players during 1948 and 1949. All are Tulane graduates in my Dad's class or they had Interned with him.

After graduation he worked with Dr. Oscher in the Touro Infirmary and was recognized as intern of the year and later was offered a position in the clinic that Dr. Oscher was starting in New Orleans after the war. Instead my father chose to go to Fort Walton Beach in Northwest Florida and open a general practice as that area had no medical care at the time. This was front-line medicine dealing with all manner of treatment outside his office including house calls. Working with the local Congressman Bob Sikes they established a small hospital and attracted more doctors to the area. He was the doctor of record and call when US presidents came to visit the many armed forces bases in the area. He sat on the Florida medical exam board as well as being the head of the State Board of Health for some time. In the early 1970s he retired from medical practice.

In Memory of Johnny's Mother

This picture was taken in 1955 when my Mom (Eugenia) and I were at our Family Reunion. Eugenia Annie Mae Rudulph Maxon 1917- 1973 was born on the 9th of June 1917 in Selma, Alabama to Burwell Blount Rudulph and his 2nd wife, Caroline Caffey Rudulph. This was his 7th daughter and the first child of Caroline. Three of his daughters and his 1st wife died of scarlet fever during the epidemic that spread across the country.

Eugenia grew up at Cloverdale, the family place in Lowdnes county, near Hayneville Alabama that had been in the family since 1834. She was sent to De Funiak Springs to Palmer High school, a part of the Chataqua Movement at the time. She graduated from Wheaton College in Chicago in June of 1938 with a degree in British Literature. Her classmate and good friend was to become the famous Billy Graham. She married Robert von Purucker Maxon at the First Baptist Church In Montgomery Alabama on 25 June 1938.

For several years in the early 1970's she had been battling different cancers. We were together in London in 1973 and while going through the subway turn-style she hit her right side that released toxins in her liver that took her life very shortly within days. I loved my mother very much, but I must say over and over again I am reminded throughout my whole life of the importance of good liver health.