Flight Medical

I started the process to get my FAA flight medical. The flight doctor said it should take four to six weeks. AOPA estimated 45 to 90 days. The process is pretty straight forward. The flight doc conducts his routine exam and prepares a package for the “special issuance” which consists of the treatment protocol details and reports from the oncologist(s) that detail “no evidence of disease.” The professionals at UNC had already forwarded the majority of the information and when the flight doc asked for some additional reports they were quick to respond.
In other news my beloved aunt Libby lost her ten-year battle with breast cancer. She inspired me to keep a stiff upper lip. I miss her dearly. She took the doctor’s advice under consideration but did not let them keep her from living life to the fullest. At one point they told her she needed to put her affairs in order and she only had a few months to live. She got a second opinion, a different treatment team and lived several more years. She traveled the world both before her diagnosis and after. India, France, Russia and Australia were among her destinations.
When I was a teenager I spent the summer at her home in San Francisco. She was the ultimate “cool aunt.” I got to skateboard the hills of San Francisco, eat in China town, and cruise around the Haight. Always up for an adventure she encouraged me to have fun but made sure I was aware of the danger. As a single woman in the city she had her act together and tried to pass some of those “street smarts” to me.
She had a way of making me feel good about my accomplishments. I always felt like a hero when I was around her. I was a junior high punk and just starting to run and went to visit. This was when the “jogging” fad was booming and the park was full of goofy people with headbands and knee high socks jogging around. Libby, her boyfriend and I went running. She made me feel like I was a real human out doing the “cool new thing” instead of a little man-boy trying to fit in. I think that was her defining strength is that she gave people psychological space to do their own thing. She was genuinely excited to find out what you were into. She was also out living her own adventures.
Many of her adventures revolved around social justice. She was a case worker for years and helped many struggling families. I am blessed to have known her; I look forward to seeing her in heaven.