As though everything is a miracle

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Patient Safety Blog, which I began writing in December 2006. My purpose remains the same: to advise both family and professional patient advocates how to get the best health care.

The stories in the blog have been read hundreds of thousands of times, by readers from Algeria to Zimbabwe, by patients and world-renowned patient safety leaders. The most popular post was not about human health care, but about my dog Jackson's superlative healthcare - a model for human healthcare.

Jackson's tenth birthday is today, making him sixty-something in people years. He has been actively puppyish and in excellent health, until Saturday, when, in a sudden health crisis, a disk in his spine apparently ruptured. At this point, we don't know his prognosis. He could be like a middle-aged weekend warrior who throws his back out and then heals with rest alone. Or it could be something much more serious, requiring major surgery or even wrenching end of life discussions. It seems this has suddenly vaulted him into old age. We hope that he'll continue to get superb healthcare.

I'm heartened that tonight is the first night of Chanukah, which celebrates miraculous restoration. As a favorite aunt's holiday card quotes Albert Einstein: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

Advice: Take a lesson in good health from Jackson: have a run or walk every day; get plenty of good sleep; love your family, and they'll pet you.