Another one - Luther Vandross

[Auburn Annie]

Los Angeles — Grammy-winning singer Luther Vandross was recovering in a New York City hospital Thursday after suffering a stroke, his spokeswoman said.

The veteran R&B performer, who turns 52 on Saturday, suffered the stroke Wednesday, according to a statement from his business manager, Carmen Romano.

"Family and friends are hopeful for a speedy recovery," the statement said. No further details about his condition were included.

Vandross won four Grammy awards in the 1990s. His hits include Jump to It, Here and Now and Don't Wanna Be a Fool.

[gwen snyder]

boy, it sure puts us in a correct light of who we are and how fragile life is, huh? The illness that Gord has doesn't cause strokes and other related kinds of sickness, does it? That is the worst, because you can become so incapacitated. I am not even vaguely medically oriented, but, that is sad. He has done some extremely dynamic concerts.
GSS

[TheWatchman]

Gord is very lucky to still be alive as a leaking blood vessel in your stomach usually means instant death before you can even be treated. Anybody can have a stroke and many times there are no symptoms, it just happens. Usually people who are at an increased risk for this get MRI's to see if there is any swelling etc. in veins and arteries. If so, they usually get "stints" placed where the weakened veins are. This is a very serious operation but not as bad as waiting for that sucker to burst. With a weakened vein in the stomach, a bowel movement can burst it. That's how life threatening it is. Gord is one lucky man and thank God he is recovering!

Luther has a great voice. You know who it is when he is singing, that's for sure. I'm not much of an R&B fan but I do really enjoy Luther's voice. It's funny because last summer I was just bragging to a friend how good of a voice he has and how he should give him a listen.

Yes, life is very fragile and tomorrow is never promised to any of us. I try to live life day by day. I figure that God has me alive this day for a reason. What that reason is, only He can reveal, one step at a time.

Hopefully Luther will not suffer any lasting effects from the stroke. He can't be much older than 50, is he?

[Auburn Annie]

He'll be 52 on Sunday the 20th.

[TheWatchman]

Thanks. I knew he was pretty young.

[gwen snyder]

I don't know all of the technical medical terminology, I only know that on
January 1st 1999, I watched my father bleed to death from this very same medical phenomena, it was the longest day in my life and the shortest and the most tormented, so, yeah, you are right Gord was lucky, someone was looking down on him and guiding the doctors' hand, They could not get the bleeding stopped in my fathers' case.
GSS

[TheWatchman]

Very sad Gwen. I bet that was the longest day of your life. I can't even imagine the pain that is felt when a parent dies. I can't even hardly think about it without tears coming to my eyes. I guess we all will have to face it though.

My grandfather was lucky enough that they caught his in time and put that stint in place. After about a year or so, they had to replace it but emphysema killed him first.

[gwen snyder]

You're right, Watchman, there are illnesses that cause very near death episodes. It is a better place our loved ones are headed toward and that's the good news, however, we are without them for the moment and that's the hard reality. We all face it, just how we face it is the measure of the loved ones we lost.
GSS