Sad story

[jabbahop]

The father of one of my son's former football teammates died of a heart attack @ the family dinner. One of his sons tried CPR but they couldn't save him. The father was 55 - my age.

Last night my 16 year old son went to the wake and burst out crying when hugging the mom.

Incredibly sad and just reinforces my decision to retire to spend more time with family and doing things that are important to us.

Time is precious.

 

[Leonidas]

Yes, time is precious.

A few months ago I broke down and got a Facebook account. One of the first people I sent a friend request to was one of my buddies from Boot Camp in 1978. Just last night I saw he had finally granted me friend status. Except, after reading his timeline I realized it must have been someone else, because he died shortly before I joined. He was only 53.




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[travelover]

Very sad. Unfortunately, CPR rarely works, so hopefully the son that performed it knows the odds were against him.

 

[calmloki]

From a selfish point of view it works sometimes - my gal, sans CPR training, kept enough blood flowing to allow the firemen to administer shock 5-6 minutes later and bring me back with little brain damage little brain damage little...

But yeah, sad tale, and if you think early retirement will enhance your life and you can - then go for it! Financial independence means more choices, and more choices are good.

 

[H2ODude]

It really is a shame that it takes these incredible misfortunes to remind us of how fortunate/lucky/blessed we are. I try to make the most of what we have and appreciate it all, but I do forget sometimes. DW is currently returning from the hospital where her mother is finally being placed into hospice; at 89 and with many years of less than high quality living she's been a stark reminder to us that time is indeed limited (we're currently 63/64). She's the last of our parents to depart and it's been somewhat of a game changer for us. The <3% WR is starting to look silly. While MIL's is not the 'sad story" of the op in that she did make it to a reasonable age, it makes the (IMO) overly conservative projections get called into question. Heck, after 3 years of retirement the FIDO calculator has increased our safe after tax by about 20%.

Time to drive better cars, drink better beer, and just not worry about spending money on things that make life .... better. Of course I cannot stomach much more than a 3% WR!

 

[Helen]

I attended a former coworker's funeral two weeks ago. She was a wonderful woman and only 56 years old. She was getting ready for work one morning and either had a heart attack or a stroke.

 

[Pesty Wadoo]

My poor mother worked and worked and couldn't wait for retirement, passed away suddenly in her sleep at 65 yrs old..wasn't ill or anything ONE month after she retired...Two of our friends retired in their mid 50s after 25 plus years of police work..one has passed from colon cancer and now our other friend has throat cancer...Yes...enjoy today...

 

[Fermion]

My father and both uncles had heart attacks in their mid 50s and I am nearing 45...but hey, let's worry about 3% vs 3.5% SWR.

 

[Choices]

I know and I will try again to have " the talk" with DH. OMY or is it two more is not worth it IMO in our situation. He says he still enjoys the j*b. We'll see the next time he gets a new boss

 

[Gumby]

If you need any more inspiration to retire early, here it is

NYPD Sgt. ‘Buddy’ Murnane Who Never Took Sick Day, Dies At Home At 62 « CBS New York

 

[NW-Bound]

All early deaths are sad. A fatal heart attack or stroke is hard on the survivors because of its sudden nature, but easier on the patient. I would rather die quickly than to face something like Lou Gehrig's disease. A diagnosis of a grim and nearly certain terminal disease like pancreatic cancer causes a lot of anguish for an unexpected patient, who had no inkling that his fate was sealed prior to his knowledge. Yet, gradual degradation like diabetes or kidney failure would give one some hope and time to prepare.

Ah, it is tough. We do not get to chose how we will die. The thing to do is to be sure that when our time comes, we will not have any regrets. And one has to come to terms with his fate.

 

[mystang52]

Premature "surprise" deaths such as those mentioned here clearly point to the obvious "enjoy your life now" motto. One never knows when a shocking terminal diagnosis may come. These are out of one's control.
But I also think there is an "obvious" 2nd conclusion one needs to draw: we have an obligation to ourselves and our loved ones to practice a reasonably healthy lifestyle, within whatever one's physical limitations might be.
We can't control our genetics or these unexpected diagnoses. But at least we can try to take control over those aspects that lead to poor health - poor eating habits, sedentary living, etc.