A Sad Day

[TJ_Tigger]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20050627/en_movies_eo/16827

:( :( :(

[Corey]

Yep it is sad, but that's not a bad run. 82 years of getting a chance to hang out and do what you enjoy is pretty good, I'll be happy if I can pull that off...

[Corey]

Wow, it turns out that guy invented an artifical heart, and held a whole bunch of patents on various stuff he developed including the disposable razor, retractable (clicking) pen, flameless cigarette lighter, and many more... He was a genuine genius. Great guy too, he donated the patent for his artificial heart to the university of Utah, etc... I tell you that's about as good as it gets I think, you get to spend your whole life having fun and helping people. I definitely admire the way Paul Winchell lived, and the legacy he left:

http://www.paulwinchell.com/artificialheart.htm

A ten thumb salute is in order...



A side story I read about his invention of the disposable razor is that he was the first person to present the disposable razor to the world but everyone told him he was nuts, and that no one would ever buy them so he gave up on it eventually, then someone else took the idea and made billions. That is an oversimplification of the story but you get the gist. Something tells me he didn't care about money though, anyone who maintains that level productivity is clearly motivated by something much broader than just profit.

[Intrigued]

Thanks for the background information on the gentleman Corey.

Always giving... some hate it, others adore it. But when it comes right down to it... it's how we feel about what we did, accomplished at the end of each day that should count to each of us.

[TJ_Tigger]

Yep it is sad, but that's not a bad run. 82 years of getting a chance to hang out and do what you enjoy is pretty good, I'll be happy if I can pull that off...

I would have to agree. My grandfather is 87 and running into a bad spell lately. He and his wife have recently moved into a nursing home and grandpa has been in the hostipal for about two weeks. However when I look at their life, they have lived on their own, in their own house for so many years. They just celebrated their 65th Wedding anniversary. If I can live my life half as well as he has, then I would be living a good life. I am looking forward to the next 50+ years to make it work too.

[Corey]

They just celebrated their 65th Wedding anniversary.

Wow! Pretty cool, there's something you don't hear about everyday.

I am looking forward to the next 50+ years to make it work too.

That's the formula Tigg, you're 100% on the money there. I couldn't agree more, not a single day goes by that it doesn't strike me how lucky we are. Each day I wake up and the first thing I do is go, "Hee, hee, hee". True story, my cat can vouch.

[Dermot]

I couldn't agree more, not a single day goes by that it doesn't strike me how lucky we are.

Couldn't agree more. I watched a documentary a few days ago called "The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off". It's about an boy in England who suffered from a rare genetic condition called Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) - which meant that his skin literally fell off at the slightest touch, leaving his body covered in agonising sores and leading to a final fight against skin cancer. See the link below for full details on this film and his story.

http://www.channel4.com/health/micro...skin_fell_off/

When I see what he had to put up every day of his life, it makes my problems seem so small. The thing that struck me was how he managed to stay positive and funny and made people laugh. He also managed to do things like sky diving and glider flying, just amazing considering the pain he was in and that he could not even walk and had no hands left.

The film is about the last four months of his life. He was given 4 months to live so he planned everything himself and died almost to the day. Right near the end he gets an chance to go to Downing street to meet Tony Blair's wife who agreed to help with the charity he setup to fight the condition. He died on the train home. It was like he had done the one last thing he needed to.

If you get a chance you should watch this film.

Dermot

[Lorne]

Couldn't agree more. I watched a documentary a few days ago called "The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off".

They've been advertising it here on TLC for a while, I think it's playing this Sunday. (Unless I missed it and it was this past Sunday...)

The commercials are enough to get me choked up...that's some powerful heart-tugging there.

[tsbpd]

It was this past Sunday, but I'm sure it will be playing again. This documentary kinda sticks with you... I've thought about what he went through several times since watching it.

[Intrigued]

If I watch that I will get upset and again question folks belief system's god whereabouts in a time of need like such.

Nope, I'm going to just pass on this one.