“Whatever We Get Is Bonus”
I was going to write today about Bush and Hitler. I was going to title this one “Bushitler.” Has a nice ring to it, I think. Well, at least I thought it was clever. Bush, and Hitler, and the combo kind of sounds like a dyslexic “bullshiter.” Bushitler. Get it? Okay, I’m too easily amused. Never mind.
So many similarities (neither won their elections but somehow ended up in power, terrorist attacks at Reichstag and WTC, possibilities or probabilities that their own administrations allowed or were responsible for said attacks, identifying immediately the attackers, Communists and Muslims respectively, the subsequent Hitler’s Enabling Act and Bush’s Patriot Act, both enacted to take away civil liberties, monitor all communications of regular citizens, keep detainees imprisoned without charge or representation, on and on…). So anyway, history repeats. This article does a better job than I would have done anyway, if you’re interested in more details. And he does it without my manic ranting.
But while I was writing excessively, no doubt, my ever-so-clever “Bushitler” post, I got an email notification that Miles Levin died yesterday, six days before his 19th birthday. I’ll admit, I cried when I read that. He knew he was going to die, he kept us all posted on his blog which he maintained from his hospital room. He had a rare type of pediatric cancer (alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer that strangles the muscle tissues…I had to copy and paste that, I couldn’t begin to remember how to spell it), but his blog was somehow inspirational. Miles blogged on the Web site of Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, and talked about his emotional and physical ups and downs, but he always had a sense of humor and an obvious appreciation of the life he had, even when he knew it was to be short-lived.
When he started the blog in 2005 it was simply to keep his family and friends informed of his progress. He turned into some sort of cancer celebrity along the way. I obviously became a fan.
I set out on a 19-month course of treatment, chronicling the journey on an online blog. Little did I know that my little Web site intended to keep extended family and friends informed would find readers all across the country and even the world, including such countries as Japan, Australia, Germany, Brazil.
Now he’s gone, much too soon. But the following excerpt from his blog kind of sums up his perspective, and is why he was an inspiration. Written in May 2007. Indeed, as I quoted him in the title of this post, “Whatever We Get Is Bonus”. Probably better than the “Bushitler” title anyway. The bold font in the following block is mine, not his. I just thought some things really stood out about what he had to say.
A recurrence of my kind of cancer has been hitherto incurable, although I still cling to a slim ray of hope. But in all likelihood, I am in the last few months of my short life.
Unlike many cancer patients, I don’t have much anger. The way I see it, we’re not entitled to one breath of air. We did nothing to earn it, so whatever we get is bonus. I might be more than a little disappointed with the hand I’ve been dealt, but this is what it is. Thinking about what it could be is pointless. It ought to be different, that’s for sure, but it ain’t. A moment spent moping is a moment wasted.
I accept what is to come, but I cannot rid myself of a deep mourning for all those experiences — college, marriage, children, grandchildren — that will probably never be mine to celebrate. What solace I do find is in the knowledge that I have done everything I can to transmute this terribleness into something positive by showing as many people as I can how to endure it with a smile.
I don’t believe you can ask for any more, but if I could ask for something, it would be to be able to go outside into the glorious spring air, feeling healthy and blissfully clueless as to how lucky I was for it, if only just for an hour.
miles levin, cancer survivor, george bush, adolf hitler, tributes
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Let me start by sending my condolences.
Now it is a shame that you would compair any human being to Hitler. There are very few people in history that can be compaired to him (such as Mussolini and Saddam) and I assure you that Bush is no where close. Hitler had Jews, Slaves, Polish, Russian, Gypsies and numerous others put to death. If someone doesn’t believe this than they need to read a book or talk to a holocaust survivor. Bush has never tried to commit genocide, a word that was invinted for people like Hitler.
It is also a shame that you would put Miles Levin’s story in the same blog as your so called “Bushitler.”
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:42 pm
Okay, I appreciate others making their opinions known, whether agreeing or disagreeing with my own. It’s always nice to know there are some people out there that actually “think” and at least have an opinion. I like intelligent responses, and you, Cam, always provide an intelligent response. Even though we apparently agree on very few things.
I do, though, take offense at being accused of being disrespectful to Miles Levin just because I happened to mention that my original intent had been to write a post about Bush and Hitler. It’s a blog, and in no way was my post disrespectful to Miles just because I happened to mention what my original post was intended to be. Yes, I mentioned the key points I was going to make, and included a link, but I think it is pretty clear that when I mentioned having received an email about Miles passing while writing said post, that I certainly shifted priorities and the main focus of the post was on what an inspiration this young man was.
I didn’t really go on too much about Bushitler. And, by the way, not only Jews, Slaves, Polish, Russian, Gypsies, but also homosexuals, such as myself, were also put to death. I guess we fall into the “others” category.
Whatever, man, it’s a blog. I’m here to express my opinions, and I do not in any way disrespect anyone else’s opinion, and usually appreciate your comments. Just not this one, because the number one priority in the post was to recognize Miles Levin’s legacy. He was an inspiration to many, and I was trying to pay him respect. I had been following his story for quite awhile. If it came across as disrespectful, that was certainly an unintentional mistake on my part. Maybe you’re right, but if so, it wasn’t intended.
I still respect your comments, too, by the way. I like opinionated people, even when we disagree. Keep them up. I just had to respond to this one for obvious reasons. Have a good day.
August 24th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Well you just contradicted yourself in that response, first you said “I happened to mention that my original intent had been to write a post about Bush and Hitler” and later you said “the number one priority in the post was to recognize Miles Levin’s legacy.”
If you shifted your goal of your blog I personally feel that you should have started a new blog. Once again that is opinion and mine may not be right even if I feel it is.
And yes I am sorry that in my response homosexuals did fall in the other catagory, and I did know that they were targeted too. The reason I did not list them was out of those targeted they actually had one of the lowest death numbers. There were many more that were targeted as well.
And as always I respect your opinion and right to have it.
August 25th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Thanks, Cam. I sincerely do appreciate your input. I think we’d have some interesting conversations over a few beers if given the opportunity. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your opinions.