Health Uncle:Farrah and Michael

America invented celebrities.Now we must deal with the loss of two in one day,shedding all the light we can on them for the common good.Farrah Fawcett,an actress whose alluring poster became the most famous of all time,went on to serious roles and battled cancer with the intensity of a commando-even before she contracted it herself.Michael Jackson knew the stresses of child stardom,but became the master of self-reinvention,carrying it to an extreme,in the estimation of many,by literally altering his face,even as he composed and performed at the highest level.Their boldness in the grip of adversity and the mundane grasp of this life set new standards for the world.
At age 50,Michael Jackson was in the prime age range of 45-55 for sudden cardiac arrest.It can be caused by many different factors:stroke,drugs,blood clots,aneurysm.In sudden cardiac arrest,the heart stops beating,and starts quivering,which is known as ventricular fibrillation.Unless the heart is restarted within a few minutes,the patient goes into a deep coma and dies.Loss of consciousness is immediate in sudden cardiac arrest.Drugs can cause it by constricting the blood vessels or stopping breathing.Family friend and attorney Brian Oxman said the whole Jackson family was concerned about Michael's taking excessive medications.This is what I feared was going to happen,Mr.Oxman remarked.
Michael Jackson's friend Celine Dion noted that since he was little,he's under pressure.I think he lived under pressure all the time,she said.He needed to be surpassing even his own self.If you only live under pressure,he didn't have the balance,Ms.Dion feels.Another friend,Cher,said she didn't relate to him in his later years-his behavior was so strange.He was a great teenager:optimistic and adorable,but not confident.He was a soft spoken boy always,Cher recalls.Cher also remembered the awesome strength of her friend Farrah Fawcett in the face of cancer.She was never sure Farrah wouldn't beat it,she was so resilient.
Two American legends died yesterday.Their lives and deaths were as varied as they were fascinating.Their spirits outshone the notoriety they shared.

Health Uncle:Cancer Documentary Airs Tonight

A documentary that chronicles the illness of actress Farrah Fawcett airs on NBC at 9PM tonight."Farrah's Story" is an intimate look at Ms.Fawcett's two-year struggle with anal cancer,a rare malignancy.Contradicting tabloid reports,Ms.Fawcett's friends deny that she is near death.One of her doctors,eminent oncologist Dr.Lawrence D. Piro,says she has not been in a coma;nor is she down to 86 pounds.Her appetite is suppressed,as is common for cancer patients,but she is getting nutrition.On the other hand,friend Ryan O'Neal says Ms.Fawcett has has a tough,painful year.Ms.Fawcett intends to watch the documentary tonight.Clips from it show her still looking beautiful,and drawing on her religious faith to help her through the ordeal.She hopes to be an inspiration to others in a similar predicament.May she be blessed with every success.
In the midst of economic distress,the NASA astronauts are proving inspirational in their own right.Yesterday's spacewalk-the first of five-was 99.9% successful.They completed installation of a new Wide Field Camera,the third in the history of the Hubble Space Telescope.A stubborn bolt threatened the mission,but prudent persistence won out.Reflecting on this accomplishment may help dispel down thoughts.We are still achieving.