To the best of my knowledge, Bob Marley never even gave scuba diving a second thought, but I am thinking about him today in relation to scuba diving after watching a film about his life. Most people who know him only for his fantastic musical ability will be surprised to learn that Marley was a physical fitness and soccer fanatic. When a soccer injury to his foot would not heal, he eventually went to a doctor, and he learned that his big toe had cancer--melanoma. There is some dispute about what was prescribed, but it involved some degree of amputation. It was probably just the toe, but he did not want that, for he feared that losing the toe would hurt his ability to play soccer.
He therefore went to a series of doctors, getting second, third, and fourth opinions until he got the opinion he wanted to hear--a doctor told him he would be fine with only a partial toe amputation. He had that done, and he was back on stage performing like his old self and playing soccer in no time. He did not go back for medical checkups for several years, doing so only after he had a seizure while running. By then the cancer had spread throughout his body, and there was no hope for a cure. He died at age 36. I cannot help but think that his passion for soccer pushed him to deny the truth of his situation and hear only what he wanted to hear. Did he not go for checkups after that because he was afraid of what he might learn on one?
In the past couple of years, I have read countless stories of people who were extremely serious, experienced, and skilled divers who passed away during dives because of medical events usually associated with age. I am myself an older diver, and I do have some medical conditions about which I have consulted with physicians. I am cleared to dive by all, but I can't help thinking about Bob Marley. Will there be a time when my passion for diving will drive me to ignore sound medical advice that should keep me out of the water? Will I have the sense to walk away if that moment comes?
How about you? Will you be able to stop doing something you love--whether diving or anything else--if an objective analysis of the facts tells you to let it go?
He therefore went to a series of doctors, getting second, third, and fourth opinions until he got the opinion he wanted to hear--a doctor told him he would be fine with only a partial toe amputation. He had that done, and he was back on stage performing like his old self and playing soccer in no time. He did not go back for medical checkups for several years, doing so only after he had a seizure while running. By then the cancer had spread throughout his body, and there was no hope for a cure. He died at age 36. I cannot help but think that his passion for soccer pushed him to deny the truth of his situation and hear only what he wanted to hear. Did he not go for checkups after that because he was afraid of what he might learn on one?
In the past couple of years, I have read countless stories of people who were extremely serious, experienced, and skilled divers who passed away during dives because of medical events usually associated with age. I am myself an older diver, and I do have some medical conditions about which I have consulted with physicians. I am cleared to dive by all, but I can't help thinking about Bob Marley. Will there be a time when my passion for diving will drive me to ignore sound medical advice that should keep me out of the water? Will I have the sense to walk away if that moment comes?
How about you? Will you be able to stop doing something you love--whether diving or anything else--if an objective analysis of the facts tells you to let it go?
