A Meditation on Health and Healing

by Eric Herman February 23, 2012 11:47 AM

Eric HermanTwo weeks ago, on February 9th, my father-in-law, Gordon Miller, suffered a massive stroke. At this writing, he is being fed through a tube, is partially paralyzed, cannot communicate, is on dialysis treatment and demonstrates little awareness other than signs of physical agony. 

He is in a condition that we all should rightfully fear ever suffering. 

As my wife, Diane, and I sat at his side in St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, Calif., struggling to cope with our own thoughts, I randomly noticed that on the wall in his room was a beautiful painting of a pool. Given the weight of the circumstances this initially seemed a rather insignificant observation. But later while walking around the hospital’s corridors, lobbies and vestibules I noticed that all of the walls were decorated with hundreds of images of water – seascapes, shorelines, streams, waterfalls, lakes, and every television I saw that wasn’t being used to watch a program was running images of water accompanied by the sounds of moving water. 

It was obvious that in designing the hospital’s interior spaces, water had been chosen as the unifying theme – presumably for its soothing nature and healing powers. 

Back in my father-in-law’s room, I was taken by the juxtaposition of the aquatic image with all its bucolic beauty and the condition of the man in the bed. It struck me that aquatic exercise is exactly the means through which we can increase chances of avoiding stroke and also how to recover from many forms of affliction and injury. 

In a recent study published in the Journal of Cardiology, examining the impact of swimming for sedentary, older adults, researchers concluded, “Swimming exercise elicits hypotensive effects and improvements in vascular function.” This study is just one of many in recent years that have conclusively pointed to the positive impact of aquatic exercise in preventing a range of diseases including hypertension, arthritis and many others. 

As I sat there with my wife and family, and took in the sights and sounds of state-of-the-art medical practice in all of its dizzying sophistication, I couldn’t help but think that for all of our modernity, we are all still so very fragile. And when it comes to health and healing, both physically and psychologically, the power of water remains.

And to a greater point still, I’d like to say to all of you reading this that we all should cherish our health and that of our family and friends. None of us knows how long we have. As one who has suffered my own share of health-related issues, this experience really turned my head around. I weep for the suffering Gordon is experiencing and for others enduring such unthinkable afflictions, but I’m inspired to think that through aquatics and the other components of a healthy lifestyle we all have an opportunity to make the most of today. 

 



Eric Herman, former editor of WaterShapes, is senior editor at AQUA magazine.

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Permalink | Comments (4)

Comments (4) -

2/23/2012 4:29:39 PM #

Dear Eric,

Your poignant writing has surely touched many of us - deeply.  For those of us who have experienced too many of these teachable moments about the fragility of life , I thank you for sharing and reminding us to cherish what we have. And to do all that we can do to practice healthy ways. It warms my heart to hear that water is used as a healing theme in this place of healing. Truly pools and hot tubs deliver family togetherness and all that comes from that, but above all, swimming, exercising and immersing in water is really the elixir of health and longevity, and frankly without our health who has family togetherness?  

Thank you Eric, and our hearts go out to Diane, you and your father-in-law.

Laurie

Laurie Batter

2/23/2012 5:25:24 PM #

Eric,
I am so sorry to learn of Gordon's condition.  

There are old and wise words that "we recognize what we most value when we lose it."  It is with absolute certainty that we will have to bear the loss of our parents, our friends and - God forbid - our children. Hopefully, before that time, we will all recognize what we most value is our family and our health. Maybe as important, we will recognize what almost every human most values their family and their health.   When this discovery registers, we are no longer are part of a "pool and spa" industry. We become part of the "health and family" field. The former is a "discretionary spending industry." The former is recreational. The latter is core to what all mankind most values.

The people who built and designed that hospital knew that. After all, hospitals recognize they are part of the health and family field. Does that register with us?

I clicked on the ads from two respected companies in our field on this page. With sad irony, I read about where they were located, that they had innovative robotics, that they earn trust with their customers. I guess we have a long way to go to recognize and promote the role we play in society that society values - instead of our features. I don't think a million robotic cleaners or the best dealer relationships scratch the surface of our soul when we see tubes running out of those we love.  

Maybe if someone who read this spent more time in the water, the tubes they saw would be a straw drawing a refreshing drink between smiling lips beside a pool. You are an eloquent champion for helping those in our industry understand the bigger role of our field.

You, Gordon and your family will be in our prayers,

Tom



Tom Lachocki

2/27/2012 6:50:20 AM #

So sorry for the suffering you and your family are enduring right now, Eric, and thank you for your eloquent ability to put it into perspective for the rest of us at such a difficult time.  As I travel about the country encountering so many in our industry, it becomes so evident how many good, decent, ethical people of values we have who work hard every day in the water industry. Water is a healing and unifying theme, as well as the love and commitment to family in our industry. You express this so very well, and our hearts go out to you as you cope with this.

Merry

2/28/2012 5:04:14 PM #


I appreciate your writing talent immensely.  The scenario you describe holds more weight than I  think your aware of.  Just maybe on one hand the water theme represents comfort in your sadness, while maybe its a calling to promote water therapy as a whole.  That will be up to you to decide.  Either way Eric were prying for Gordon and your family.

Peter Langevin

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