Friday, May 22, 2009

Emphysema is a Progressive Disease

Monday, May 18, 2009

“Well, I’ll go and have coffee with Christos now,” said Demetrios. “Do you want to come?”

“No thanks,” I said. “I’ll stay home and play Happy Housewife. You have fun.”

“I’m just trying to keep him alive.”

“Keep him alive, oh, give me a break! It isn’t as though Christos were going to – ” But the look in his eyes made me stop. I just stared at him.

“Is he really that unwell?”

“Yes.”

Okay, Demetrios is a doctor. So he knows whereof he speaks. But he never speaks this way, ever.

“But didn’t he just get a good report from his lung specialist and from the CT scan? Didn’t he tell us his emphysema hasn’t gotten worse since the last scan a couple of years ago?”

“Well, he likes to think that way about it. “But can’t you see for yourself? He’s fading away.”

It’s true. It’s the first thing we noticed when we arrived in Greece; we said he was looking quite gray. Friends of ours have also commented that Christos isn’t looking well. And yes, he has gotten even worse since we were here, feels weak and tired, doesn’t sleep well.

I didn’t realize that emphysema is a progressive disease, and there’s no cure. How often I’ve wanted to snatch Christos’ pipe from his hand and tell him to give it up. But now, may as well let him enjoy his nearly only pleasure in life.

The heartache his children daily inflict doesn’t help matters, either. (Remember I told you that at Pascha, his adopted daughter Danai came from London to visit him, looking beautiful and behaving charmingly? Well, she turned his joy to sorrow by asking him for 10,000 Euros to pay her debts. As if he had any money.)

If you are a praying person, please add Christos and his children (Danai, Vicki, and Phideas) to your prayer list, as the need is great.

And if you smoke tobacco or anything else, add that to your prayer list, too. And quit before it’s too late!

8 comments:

William Weedon said...

I'll add Christos to my list. I'm glad you all are there for him, Anastasia.

DebD said...

prayers for Christos and his family.

elizabeth said...

My small prayers.

That is hard for you too, to see a good friend so ill.

Elizabeth @ The Garden Window said...

My prayers for Christos and his family.

My mother has emphysema too and it is a horrible disease.

Mimi said...

Lord have Mercy, Lord have Mercy, Lord have Mercy.

Anastasia Theodoridis said...

Thank to all of you for your prayers for my brother-in-law.

Elizabeth, I'm so sorry your mother is also suffering from this. My prayers for her.

Emphysema said...

Emphysema is a lung disease. It leads to breathing distress due to a restriction in blowing air out. It is main form of COPD. It is caused due to smoking also even air pollution contributes it. It is still not decipherable. One can use lung gel or lung surgery is the only option.

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