FLYING contributor Dick Karl says that dealing with an unforeseen health crisis is a reminder that your week, his week, anybody’s week can go from anticipating flight to hanging on for dear life. [iStock]
Key Takeaways:
The author experienced a sudden, severe health crisis, dramatically paralleled to a catastrophic in-flight emergency, which ultimately led to a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia.
He draws key life lessons from this experience, noting the sudden unpredictability of fate and the critical reliance on expert systems, much like trusting a flight crew or medical professionals.
The journey underscores the loss of personal control when faced with a severe illness and highlights the profound and unexpected importance of support from friends and family.
Facing a difficult prognosis and treatment path, the author reflects on how his identity as a pilot offers themes for navigating this new, challenging reality.
In life and in the air, things can change in a hurry.
Cruising westbound at FL 430 with just more than an hour to the destination, we’re chatting about our groundspeed, which is just tickling 400 knots, the headwinds, and, despite constant rearrangement of the sun visors, the annoying persistence of sun in both our faces.
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Dick Karl is a cancer surgeon who appreciates the beauty and science involved in both surgery and flying. Dick’s monthly Gear Up celebrates the human side of flying. He writes about his enthusiasm for both the machines and the people who fly and maintain them.
