Kanlaon

Okey-dokey, dear blog readers, this evening self is reading. And what else is there to read after a day when self had to suck up (bleeaaah) to the two clowns who’ve been running rough-shod over the female students in her class, who had the genius idea to beat self to it and complain to the Dean, who, being the munificent leader that he is (or imagines himself to be), took their side without listening to self and advised self to get a union rep to represent her — to repeat: on such a depressing day, what else is there to read but the dear old San Francisco Chronicle? (Whew! That was indeed quite a mouthful! See, now that self’s back is to the wall, she thinks she might actually get to finish writing that play! While grading student papers, yet! If self is lucky, perhaps she’ll even get to finish writing it before Dearest Mum lands on these shores, in the first week of June! But, once again, self digresses)

This is the headline (on p. 2 of the SF Chronicle) that has caught self’s attention:

TRIAGE PLAN DETAILS WHOM TO LET DIE DURING A PANDEMIC: Treatment Blueprint Gives Severely Hurt, Elderly Lower Priority

Hmmm, self is now extremely curious to see which group she falls into: the “savable” or the “unsavable”? And so she reads on.

Doctors know some patients needing lifesaving care won’t get it in a flu pandemic or other disaster. The gut-wrenching dilemma will be deciding whom to let die.

The suggested list was compiled by a task force whose members come from prestigious universities, medical groups, the military and government agencies. They include the Department of Homeland Security, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

And here, dear blog readers, are the list of the “expendables”:

* People older than 85.

* Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings.

* Severely burned patients older than 60.

* Those with severe mental impairment, which could include advanced Alzheimer’s disease.

* Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes.

Self sincerely hopes that the next pandemic comes before she turns 60.

But, even if she is 60, if she is not severely burned there is a chance — slim, but still a chance — that she will not be abandoned.

With self’s kind of luck, however, the pandemic will come the day after her 60th birthday, and she will indeed be severely burned.

Or, even if self is not severely burned, she might end up being evaluated by a novice physician who will mistake her not-so-severe burns for severe burns.

And so forth and so on.

The point self is trying to make, dear blog readers, is that self has the worst kind of luck, and if there is any way — no matter how far-fetched — for her to squeak into the “un-salvageable” group, she will no doubt find it.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers, stay tuned.