I have an old Army buddy and we've always stayed in close contact over the years. We went through spy school together then went to S.E. Asia together ... even shared a hooch for a while. We've gotten together many times over the years, but although we stay in contact via phone, text and eMail, it's been 10-11 years since we got together personally. He married a Thai gal and my ex and his wife have remained friends and they talk often.
Well, a week or so ago, he informed me his wife just had no energy and was tired all the time. It reminded me of Cappy, he'd call me 2-3 times a week, just to chat, and had been telling me how tired he'd been lately. He'd barely make it through the day, usually getting off the tractor, shower, grab a quick bite to eat, then going straight to bed. He was finally headed to the doctor to get checked out the same morning he passed away. Anyway, it turned out my buddy's wife was anemic and was going to the doctor for some tests. She ended up in the hospital and my buddy just called to let me know his wife had just passed away. Just like that ... here one minute ... gone the next. Damn! The older I get, the more I find how really fragile life is. They'd been together 50 years and he's pretty much devastated right now. He said they have gifts for each other under the Christmas tree and he hates the thought of going home to that.
I don't know what the medical issue was exactly, he was too shaken to even talk about it and I didn't press him. We'll be talking more once the dust settles. I just want to make a point here. None of us are getting any younger and maybe we need to pay a little closer attention when our bodies are trying to tell us something. My dad was feeling like crap and just spent a couple days in bed thinking "it would pass". One morning he decided he'd go to the doc to get checked out but never made it to the front door. Like Cappy, he knew "something" was wrong, just didn't think it was a big deal until it was too late.
Take care of yourselves and pay attention to any warning signs that something may be "off". (FYI, I'm one of the world's worst at that, but I'm going to try changing my ways without becoming a hypochondriac.)