My Best Friend
My best friend, Karen K. Bissell, age 39, died of CJD
on 9/21/98 in Denver, CO. Approximately 7 years prior, she had an
operation; her brain was resting on her spine. The doctor went in
and lifted her brain from her spine and used dura matar and a
cadaver. She always thought she had arthritis in her neck after
that. Then, in June of 1998, she wasn't feeling well. Her
eyesight started to go, her balance was off and she even told me
that she was bleeding from her ear. She was visiting her family
in Colorado at the time (she was living and working in Miami at
the time). Once back in Fla. she deteriorated. In August 1998,
her boss had her fly back to Colo to see her doctor. By that time
she was legally blind and was talking as if she had had a stroke.
Her words were slurred and she was getting forgetful and
agitated. She could not feed herself or dress herself. Her
parents took her to the doctor and after many tests, they
concluded that it was CJD. She was put in a hospice and died a
few weeks later. It was the most horrendous disease I have ever
witnessed.
I would like to say something that hopefully your readers will
take to heart. I know the family is lost without their loved one;
but, so ARE the friends. When a death occurs, the best friend is
not thought about at the time. I want people to know that friends
grieve and go through a very hard process as well as the family.
Best friends tell each other things that you wouldn't tell your
family; share things that only best friends share. Really you ARE
family; not by blood but by fate and circumstance and God's will.
There are reasons why people come into each other's lives. Karen
was my best friend. My anchor. We worried about each other and
loved each others families as if we were blood.
My heart goes out to all CJD patients and their family and
friends. This disease will become an epidemic if more research
isn't done on it. People don't talk about it much - are they
afraid? I know that never heard of it until Karen was diagnosed;
but then I got on the internet and I couldn't believe how many
peoples lives have been touched by this deadly disease. God Bless
us all.
Thank you.
ALANA LENDVAY
Sandy, Utah