What We Take for Granted

June 15, 2009

As I was running through the Van Cortland park trails on top of the New York Stete aqueduct last Saturday, I was thinking about what would happen if this massive pipe either clogged or had a leak. Sure enough, we had a major water main break in the Bronx on Sunday which lead to no water all day on Sunday.

We tend to take our free natural resources for granted, including water and air. In healthcare, we naturally assume that we’re able to get enough oxygen into our bodies, but for millions of people in this country, this is not the case.

Here’s a poignant post on SleepGuide that hit a nerve with me. I have to stress that this situation happens routinely. It seems like the writer’s husband had his CPAP mask slip off just before the fatal event. Not everyone with sleep apnea is at risk for what this man suffered, but as long as you don’t treat your sleep apnea condition (if you know you have it), your chances of suffering the same fate will definitely be higher.

Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog
Tagged: ,air, obstructive sleep apnea, oxygen, water