Blogging and how precious life is - Thank you dear readers
by Rob Paterson
About a week ago I posted about how Brian Hurlburt was making history in a small town in Nova Scotia - where he was becoming the real local newspaper. I had sent the copy to Brian prior to posting and was surprised and how long it took for him to respond.
He called in the evening and told me that it was fine but there was something in his voice - he sounded as if he was in a lot of lot of pain. I asked him how he was and he told me that he had this terrible pain pain in his gut and a fever. Fevers are a very bad sign if they are connected to this kind of pain.
I told him that I would be very pissed off with him if I had to attend his funeral and that these symptons sounded serious. I begged him to go to the hospital - of course this was at night on the weekend.
3 days later his partner phoned me. Brian had an infected bowel that had burst shortly after arriving in hospital. If he had not been there he would have died. It was touch and go and he faces a very long recovery. The site is down because coincidentally, the domain came due last week and he could not deal with it of course.
He called me last night, he is still in hospital. He called to thank me for saving his life.
Paradoxically, hearing his voice last night felt like being at the birth of my children. I had been part of a new life. I was quite overwhelmed by this feeling and have been quite weepy since. In effect, Brian has been reborn. He came so close to death, that everything has changed for him. And I think also for me. Some door has opened.How often do we get a second chance? How often do we get the opportunity to really help as well?
All night I have been wondering at the fragility of existence. Of how the coincidence of my interviewing him for this blog, set up the conditions for his call and hence for a new chance at life.
So I now see that of course saving his life was not me at all - it was you. Without this blog and so without you, I would never have called Brian anyway.
So you too are part of this event. By our connection, we have all brought Brian back to life.
Thank you.
