I'm very sad because my dear Chinese friend, Charlie, who used to be a broker of mine, has unexpectedly died, aged 41. He collapsed a couple of weeks ago with terrible stomach pains, hardly able to breathe and was in bed for four days, not being able to eat. He then felt a little better and we spoke on the phone last Tuesday. He'd consulted an allergist who said he was definitely allergic to something and should make a start with 50 basic foods, cutting them out one by one to eliminate them. Charlie thought he may have a wheat allergy. He was running a mergers and acquisitions business and was on the cusp of signing a couple of deals so he was on top form, telling me all the gossip about the Europeans and Americans who wanted to do business with him. He was so excited about the prospect of a contract that he'd been to a temple and given a donation to the god in the hope that he'd be showered with cash in exchange.
When I called him today, his stepfather answered the phone and told me the bad news: Charlie had been found dead in his flat on Friday. The stepfather's English is better than my Mandarin but insufficient to relay any details. I do hope he didn't die alone (he lived alone). I also wish he'd prayed for health first, wealth second.
Oh dear, I wonder if he went to a doctor at all? We've lost a lot of friends lately, all only in their 40s, all from differing illnesses. The men in particular seem to leave it until it's too late.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that JR. An American friend has been genetically mapped, found she's got a dementia gene and has given up bread. She's 46.
ReplyDeleteOh my word, I hadn't heard of that at all before. Now I've just looked it up, and what a coincidence - I have been very ill for the past couple of years and it's all down to gluten. I found it rather hard to accept at first - and now I'm finding out how hard it is to change your diet after the eating habits of a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteOh poor you! Are you feeling more energetic as a result?
ReplyDeleteEnergetic, yes! I started to get arthritis when I was 40 (I first noticed it when I used to walk down to the cathedral from Oram's Arbour to listen to my son a couple of times a week), and that is easing up too - I hadn't realised that gluten intolerance can make that feel worse, too. Someone once told me that you shouldn't eat anything that your great-grandparents wouldn't have been able to obtain, and I laughed at them. Since I am sitting here eating a cashew nut and quinoa stirfry, heavy on the grated veg, I do rather have yearnings for my old bad lifestyle, but would rather feel well.
ReplyDeletePoor you, JR but well done with sticking to the diet. I've found that does make a huge difference although my taste buds have been shot to pieces by the chemo anyway. (Last dose was on Tuesday so am waiting to find out when and if my enjoyment of champagne will return!)
ReplyDeleteNow if I lost that, I really would be upset. Ease in gently with a bottle of raspberry cider. Mix with some cava for the second glass, and see how you go, then you won't have wasted a small fortune.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a recipe for a headache!
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