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 uses a vivid metaphor of a sudden, catastrophic in-flight emergency to introduce a real-life, equally sudden and severe health crisis.
This personal emergency led to an unexpected diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, facing a challenging prognosis and complex treatment.
The experience prompted reflections on life's unpredictability, the critical dependence on medical expertise, and the irrelevance of professional accomplishments in the face of serious illness.
Ultimately, the author highlights the profound importance of support from friends and family during such a challenging personal ordeal.
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.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
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.
