Thanks to this wonderful, creative industry I've met some incredible people and made some incredible, life long friends.
There's also many friends I've never met because of sharing content and social media, and today I received an email from one such person; a truly delightful man from the USA.
Reading his email it reminds me yet again why I do what I do and that no matter how I may feel at times (I'm only human) I'll continue doing what I love and sharing with others because for some, as crazy as it may sound, it might be the one thing they look forward to and helps distract them from the day to day.
No name revealed but here is his email to me 😢
Hi Glyn,
I'm sorry that I stopped attending your events but life hasn't been so easy lately. Besides the usual family stuff, I have been really tired the past few months. Symptoms have been around much longer but got slightly worse over time. I can't even walk slowly for over 3 minutes, at this point.
My regular doctor sat on my chest and made me promise to go to a heart specialist. Luckily she is pretty light :)
I did go, and every test they have given me was abnormal.
Have one major test to go before I know everything but so far it appears to be heart failure. The big question is how much.
How much, then tells me how much longer I have to live.
She even pulled out the big guns prescribing a medicine called Entresto, the new miracle drug. I checked the price: Its price without insurance is $3500, with my insurance $350. This is the price per month!!!
I just turned 65 and signed up for Medicare here in the states. Should get the paperwork any day now. With Medicare and my insurance [which I'm keeping so my wife has good coverage till she hits 65] the price I was told will be under $100 per month. Most likely between $65 and $75. Add that to my other meds and it's starting to get expensive for someone on a fixed income that was cut in half when I retired. And that doesn't count my wife's meds.
Many older folks have told me with the meds I should still have a good number of years left. Hope so, I want to spend more time with my lovely wife and my sons.....plus my two granddaughters. My mom died at 55, and never really got to know her grandkids. I'm hoping I have better luck.
Sorry to bother you with all this Glyn. But know this, I would really appreciate it if you would keep me on your mailing list and keep sending me links to what you are doing: You sir, and Photoshop helps to relax me some. And I really need that at this time.
Just learnt how to make my own cloud brushes.....can't wait to try it on maybe Sunday, and then add them to some photos that only have a flat blue sky.
In closing, wishing you, your wife and your mom the best along with good health. I hope everyone is doing well.
Take care
What we may consider basic, someone else may consider advanced. What we think is simple, to someone else is difficult. What we think is of no importance or value, to someone else it could be priceless.
I guess none of us know how what we do could be positively impacting those we have never and may never meet; that alone is motivation to keep going.