A Nose by Any Other Name
There’s an old saying about making lemonade when life hands you lemons; Steve Riedle must have made gallons. Here is a guy with hemophilia with a story, and who is trying to make life better for others. He is the inventor of NoseBudds, clever gel cold packs that are tailored for the nose. They are great for anyone with nosebleeds, but especially for hemophilia and von Willebrand disease patients who have bleeds.
Steve is the youngest of 11 children: five boys with hemophilia. Three brothers died of hemophilia. Two brothers never even used cryo or factor and died of bleeding. The last one to die was 19; Steve was 17 at the time. Just try to imagine how to deal with that kind of loss. “That was a dark time,” Steve writes, “but seeing the new generation of kids running around being much better made me feel better. Still I think of all those who I knew and are gone now. Mostly the kids, because they never knew normal because of [being] outcasts.”
Steve developed NoseBudds to make a difference in the lives of others. Check them out at www.nosebudd.com. They are inexpensive at $7.95 and can help with bleeds. “I’m trying to make a point with Nosebudds– to make a stand, keep resilient, and even with all the pain and loss something great can be achieved. Be a victim of hemophilia or a warrior, we have the choice.”
You can be friends with Steve on Facebook!
Good Book I Just Read
Mind Over Matter by Ranulph Fiennes.
In November 1992, the world’s “greatest living explorer” made it into the Guinness Book of World Records by crossing Antarctica with Dr. Michael Stroud, unsupported, alone, covering 1,350 miles in a hellish 95 days. Toting sledges weighing 450 pounds, in temperatures as low as 85 degrees below zero, suffering starvation, frostbite and everything else you can imagine, these two men didn’t achieve their goal to completely cross but broke the world’s record for longest unsupported polar trek. It is a riveting account and remarkable, stunning achievement. But you will ask why? To what purpose? There was no record or achievement other than to see how much suffering the human body can stand. Fiennes is blunt, lacks charm or wit, and is very critical of his partner. Makes you long for the diaries of Mawson or Shackleton, where dignity and respect seemed to matter most. They raised millions for the British Multiple Sclerosis Society, and I found the book inspirational, though a bit harsh on Stroud. Fiennes includes an excellent set of Appendices on the Antarctic, including routes, equipment, mileage and history of exploration. Three stars.