Sunday, December 12, 2010

Health issues may define District races

An awful lot of folks are still wringing their hands and gnashing their teeth over the selection process for District Senate seats and other elections, as the districts still lack definition and that news is most likely to have a late April coming. Early May could be the actual layout of the borders of the Districts in question to Loudoun.

In the shadow of that timeline, another concern has stepped into the determination process, and no one is celebrating or controlling that issue.

Anyone who has spoken with Dick Black in the past six months has noticed the tremors. That could indicate Parkinson’s. I dated a gal for five years and during that time, was with her thru the process of her father's last days. He had been a Navy Captain of one of the first Nuclear powered-ships...and a striking figure in his prime.
And still more who have actually lost loved ones to Alzheimer's is familiar with the short term memory loss that it begins with. My wife's father, a once strong and vibrant architect in Cape Cod, lost his fight some 6 years ago. So, my heart goes out to any family who has to deal with the situation and the eventual loss.

I've been hearing from several sources that Black may actually decide not to incur the stress of a vigorous campaign and may well just decide to enjoy family and more important issues closer to home. I offer prayers on behalf of the family, and on Mr. Black . I'm sincere, because I've seen what lies down that road.

2 comments:

Lovettsville Lady said...

Perhaps I'm not very observant but I saw Dick Black last week and saw no evidence of tremors. He was holding a drink and it didn't move at all. Didn't see any memory lost either. Since he had his kickoff a month ago, I don't foresee him withdrawing from the race anytime soon. but who knows? health issues can change things on a dime.

The Bulletproof Monk said...

I've personally observed the early tremors....and was instantly reminded of my fiance's father.
There is medication for the Parkinson's (witness Michael J. Fox)but it's the short term memory loss that should concern folks who he might one day represent.
My wife's father was a vibrant fellow one year, and not truly capable of remembering where the bathroom was a year later. That may be an extreme comparison, but it does highlight the severity that any diagnosis of Alzheimer's could entail.
I truly hope the man is just in need of a vitamin regiment, because even I have days where my memory is a little off on smaller details.