Thank you for reminding me of Curt's many words of wisdom. Curt was often extremely blunt, but he was usually correct. During my early DX days he taught me a lot about being strong and fighting hard. I could beat this disease or at least be able to deal with it. Curt you are missed.
Michele

This was in my journal, and is rather long, but maybe it should be posted here as well his "handle" was hcmiller:

Curt, A Remembrance
Sunday, July 22, 2012

Curt was real, nothing artificial or virtual about him. I appreciate that, but when I joined DS I was horrified by his lack of tact and his wild stories which were unbelievably true like walking 10 miles one day and going into a coma the next and taping his eyes open to ride his motorcycle. He had little patience for for excuses and wanted everyone to get well, and that was an order, and he had definite ideas how to go about it. He proofed his posts for punctuation and grammar but . . .


I remember the day he asked me to be his friend. He had insulted TJ and his neurologist (in TJ's best interest, of course) and tarred the whole whole 12 step program and all support groups (except for ours) on the basis of his bad experience, scaring a prospective member of our group away. I told him I was biting my tongue, he was at the top of his game, and I loved him anyway. I did have reservations, which disappeared, and although I certainly did not agree with everything he said or his need to say it, I continued to love Curt, anyway.


He cared about the schools he was involved with and the flood damage and the people affected by the floods.

Curt:"

I live in western Massachusetts but spend my workdays in New York (Albany). Things were ok at home but yesterday, I had to tour the Catskills to survey the damage (I do school construction).
I have witnessed flood damage before but what I observed yesterday could only be described as horror. I have never seen such widespread devastation in my life. Roadways and bridges were gone. Homes were swept away and destroyed. Schools had seen 4 feet of water. One of our schools was missing one of their full-size school buses. It was found 7 miles downstream in a farmer's field. One town we visited had 11 buildings standing out of the 200 that were there before the flooding. There was furniture up in trees, cars and trucks strewn everywhere, hundreds of homes where furniture was piled up along the street, destroyed.
Pray for these folks. Their burden is certainly as great as ours. "


He wasn't always serious.
He was fun to tease and took it well. He said he was a type B personality, easy going, didn't let things get to him. (ANYBODY recognize Curt here.)


So I replied:"Guess I would have to lump you in with "normal people" a category rather problematical for both of us (and highly overrated).
Are you sure you are type "B"? Maybe they just haven't come up with a type for you yet. Or maybe you are type B with large lacunae, just as I am type A with large lacunae. Type B people wouldn't crawl up the steps to go to work and type A people don't lose their keys! :-) b."


and Curt's reply : b - you really had me blushing talking about my large lacunae and, yes, you probably are correct that I'm a type B with large lacunae.
...and I wear size 12 shoes, too! :-)


After his secondary cataract surgery in April and an exhortation to give myself the present of getting rid of my blooming cataracts, he wrote:


"I sat in the waiting room this afternoon with 12 women (!!!), all waiting for the same procedure. We had a long wait for the doc because he does this when he finishes with his cataract patients, usually about 20 on each surgery day. We were all chatting and some of the folks were apprehensive so I worked my charm to help allay any fears."


All in their best interest, of course.


I was worried about taking prednisone since I am a lol (little old lady) and have all the risk factors for osteoporosis (apart from smoking). That worried him and so did my proposed hike. He went to the trouble to discuss prednisone seriously with someone knowledgeable and I found myself reassuring Curt, of all people, that I had taken precautions for my excursion and was going to be all right. I then took extra ones, and although I had some problems, I was all right.


He seemed to mellow after that (for the most part!); maybe it was a bad sign. As I got better I realized he couldn't keep up. He loved the mountains and said he was going to take pictures, but didn't, even when the opportunity presented itself. I suspected his cameras had become too heavy for him to carry from the car to an area where ferns and flowers grew. He admitted to having trouble getting to the parking lot after work because it was on an incline, something my meds took care of, at least for the short haul, and he had no hope of hiking. He asked for ideas about fatigue and railed at turning 60 and finally at MG.


Something bad was wrong. He wasn't one to say he would do something he loved and not do it. He wasn't one to give up on hiking or photography and live only in his work day world, except for weekends (one of the last of which he spent in a tent at 40 degrees, got chilled, and couldn't shake it). Much of his time off from work was spent in doctor's offices. He took time to come this way to pick up a motorcycle and ride it back to Albany, but no time to spare to see friends and he has a biking buddy nearby.


So I told him something was wrong and his doctors shouldn't be writing it off as age or steroid myopathy either. People like us don't go down that easily, and he agreed. He changed blood pressure medication (he was on a contraindicated one) and next we all knew he was in the hospital with a damaged heart, pneumonia, and lymphoma. Then nothing. I knew where his telephone number was, he put it out there for anyone to see, but it was meant for Marvin. He said his life was an open book, so I went looking and found an old email address and he responded. I asked no questions, he gave me no answers, "just the facts, maam" (Dragnet). He was not there to answer my last note.


Curt:"Take from my story what you will but always remember that this disease is truly serious and can kill you. Be prepared. WHENEVER, if ever, you experience breathing difficulty, IMMEDIATELY seek medical help. You may have less time than you think! In the meantime, enjoy every day to the fullest. For me, that means riding my motorcycles or photographing the world with my view cameras or my Leicas, or making prints in my darkroom."


For professional pictures and home movies (of his motorcycle):

http://curt-gallery.blogspot.com/
b

Curt was a force was he not?. We agreed to disagree on a few topics, but he did have our interests at heart.
l used to think (and still do ) what a stubborn old coot he could be.But then when it came to treatment options, l am the same so l always forgave him.
l do miss him.
Amanda

Thanks for posting his words B , as those are words I've been living by for quite sometime as the more I read of him the more I feel like I knew him in some capacity , hard to explain.

And as Jackie said " we only go around once " so true , so true more words of wisdom.

Cj

Curt is someone I will never forget. Before he passed away, I am so happy we became friends here. Stories a plenty!

I affectionately called him "Coma Curt" to my wife.

TJ