Mortality

[edgelett]

sorry for the downbeat discussion.
my dad rang me today quite upset cause he had just found out one of his childhood friends in New Zealand had died.
He and my dad used to ride bikes together all the time and this guy had a pretty insane bike collection in NZ worth over $200K.
apparently he was out for a ride and overtook a car and kept going in a straight line in to a cliff.
on face value it seems he took his own life but the autopsy revealed he had an aneurysm while riding and died on the bike - hence he rose straight in to a cliff face.
pretty crazy.
my dad was pretty upset when he rang, he said this chap was one of the most genuine nice guys he'd ever met. and he said 'just enjoy your bikes ok?' before he hung up.

anyway point of this post is to say you never know when shit might happen so make sure you enjoy life. take what steps you can to protect yourself (gear, etc) and make sure you don't deliberately put yourself in harms way but also take time to get out and experience things cause you never know when your number is up.

ride safe everyone.

 

[Azzman]

Sad news mate

 

[Deleted member 706]

Condolences to you, your Dad and all concerned.
As they say we're here for a good time, not a long time. I think I might just use this as an excuse to chase up a bike I've been thinking about, the Hornet.

 

[EllenGtrGrl]

Sorry that your dad had to suffer that experience Tash. I remember my mom calling me on a Saturday, minutes before I was going to head out the door for the day, upset about having learned less than an hour ago, that one of her best friends had died suddenly that morning. Her friend was in good health, and it was totally out of the blue (I think the autopsy revealed that it was an unsuspected, heart related issue that caused the death). It's bad enough when you know that somebody you care about is dying (it was hard 6 years ago, helping to care for my dad [he was in a great deal of pain], when he was in hospice care for terminal cancer), and that much harder to deal with, when it's unexpected.

 

[K9F]

Solace can be sought by realizing he sadly died whilst doing one of the things that gave him the most enjoyment in life.

Working in a large 1000 bed hospital I see it too often from youngsters in their 20's with terminal cancer having the life sucked and drained out of them week by week until they're finally gone to elderly patients who were once dignified fading away, mere shadows of their original persona.

Hence the statements in my signature block. You never know when the 'fickle finger of fate is going to point your way!' None of us gets out of here alive and we are all living in a hospice with fresh air! Make the most of it!

 

[Breto]

Sorry to hear that Tash…kinda no words really mate…

 

[ferraiolo1]

I went through something similar three years ago. My closest uncle t-boned a car pulling out of a driveway around a blind corner. He was wearing full gear, but Impacted so hard it tore a artery from his heart, and passed shortly after.

Best way I knew how to deal with it was to get on my bike the day after and go for a mind clearing ride.

 

[Max Kool]

Unfortunately, a sad fact of many motorcyclists' life. Long time ago I lost my girlfriend riding on the back with me while getting into an accident. Some car popped out of a driveway behind bushes. I never got the chance to react and t-boned the car half a second after I saw it. She died on the spot, I got away with a bruised knee and some ribs only. The worst part is informing the family and burying you better half..... I wish it had been the other way around 😢 (yes it was the driver's fault, but that didn't bring her back)

I went back into riding a few weeks after but never liked having someone on the back...

 

[edgelett]

Unfortunately, a sad fact of many motorcyclists' life. Long time ago I lost my girlfriend riding on the back with me while getting into an accident. Some car popped out of a driveway behind bushes. I never got the chance to react and t-boned the car half a second after I saw it. She died on the spot, I got away with a bruised knee and some ribs only. The worst part is informing the family and burying you better half..... I wish it had been the other way around 😢 (yes it was the driver's fault, but that didn't bring her back)

I went back into riding a few weeks after but never liked having someone on the back...

oh geez Max I'm so sorry mate. Didn't mean to bring up bad memories for others.

 

[edgelett]

Appreciate the comments all.
My dad was glad that his mate left this world doing the thing he loved most.
The worst bit is he can't go to NZ for the funeral due to everything happening Covid wise at the moment.

I plan on getting out for a ride as soon as the weather isn't shitty.

 

[Max Kool]

No worries matey, it’s ok. We all carry a cross.

 

[Breto]

if I could I’d help everyone carry theirs…love and best wishes to you all…😔🥰

 

[Deleted member 706]

Tash I noticed on another thread that you mentioned that you recently married your bloke, congratulations.
I'm now wondering if this reality check about our mortality was in anyway connected to the recent marriage. I'd guess it is...
In 88 I had to go to 2 funerals on the first business day of the new year. As I was riding from one to another I had thoughts about life, death and my girlfriend on the pillion seat. A week or so later I popped the question.

 

[edgelett]

Tash I noticed on another thread that you mentioned that you recently married your bloke, congratulations.
I'm now wondering if this reality check about our mortality was in anyway connected to the recent marriage. I'd guess it is...

hey mate, thank you

Actually this particular matter was not related to our marriage. We lodged our intent to marry back in late May,
being honest - Tony just told me one day he thinks we should get married. When I got over the shock and said 'why?' he said 'I just think it's time'.
after nearly 19 years together lol.

But - I do think that an accident I had a few years ago where I cracked my head really bad and ended up in hospital and he thought I had died is connected to his change of heart. Because if I had died, there would be no mention of him on my death certificate.
Then in 2019 I got really sick and had major surgery and he was worried then too.

so yeah - this accident wasn't connected but I think the other two things are.
And now I have some cool fancy jewelery!

and thanks to everyone for your well wishes