He was a 45 year old man. Threats of violence landed him in the psych ward against his will. Turned out he had been using cocaine. ‘Get me the hell out of this damn place’, he screamed at me.
Now cocaine can make one feel euphoric, energetic and focused, ready to live life to the hilt. But these effects don’t last forever - and can ultimately lead to paranoia, fits of anger, mood shifts, and even heart problems which could be lethal.
That’s what happened, tragically, to Len Bias, the University of Maryland basketball star who was the 2nd overall pick in the 1986 draft by the Boston Celtics. Two days after being chosen, he celebrated by snorting cocaine - and died of a cardiac arrhythmia, an amazing future never realized.
And so we did an EKG (heart monitor) of this 45 year old man’s heart - and discovered that he was on the verge of following in the footsteps of Len Bias.
But - because he was in a hospital, action was taken and a life saved.
The irony of all this was not lost on this once angry 45 year old , who now was singing praises: ‘thank G-d I was forced to come to the hospital!’.
If we look at our own lives, we will often see that what appears to be a negative on a Monday may well be the very springboard for a positive on a Tuesday. We just have to keep our eyes open.
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