My brother, who lives in Virginia, recently called to say he was “lucky to be alive.” He woke up one morning and his throat was scratchy. As a few days went by symptoms became worse. Generally, he thought he had a bad cold so he started the usual regime of over-the-counter meds. But his neck started to swell so he drove himself, alone, to the local Veterans Affairs hospital. He couldn’t talk by this time and was having trouble breathing. As he entered the hospital he was immediately admitted and flushed with antibiotics. The diagnosis was a severe fungal infection in his throat. Frighteningly, he was just moments from his air passage completely closing. If the highway traffic that day wasn’t moving well, as most days it’s slow that time of day, he would have surely died in his car from suffocation.

As he and the doctors discussed how he contracted the fungus, he said his throat became scratchy the day after he mowed his lawn. Bingo! We’ve all experienced the dust/dirt we inhale as we mow. In my brother’s case a fungus was in some of that dust. It could have come from anywhere; animal excrement, anything. I’ve always worn a mask when I mow due to my allergies. Now I have another reason. And my brother is now wearing one, too. I almost lost my only brother to an unsuspecting killer. Please take all precautions when mowing. It could save your life.

Penny Arsenault

Milford