Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been diagnosed with a chronic lung disease that could limit the exercise of her official program.

Crown Princess over time undergone extensive studies related to their health and there is evidence of an unusual variant of fibrosis in the lungs, according to the Crown Princess physician, Professor Kristian Bjøro at the National Hospital. It is not yet clear whether the lung disease is part of a more comprehensive autoimmune disease process, or whether there are other causes that underlie lung changes.

“For a number of years, I have had health challenges on a regular basis, and now we know more about what these are. The condition means that the working capacity will vary. The Crown Prince and I choose to inform about this now, partly because in future there will be a need to plan periods of time without official program. In connection with the treatment, and when the disease is more active, this will be necessary,” says the Crown Princess.

Professor Bjøro informs that lung changes have already been followed for several years, and the disease development in this period has been slow. Examination and treatment of it is taking place at the Rikshospitalet in Oslo, and with collaboration with doctors abroad.

“The Crown Princess will have to undergo further ‘investigation’ in the future and also treatment trials. With such state of the Crown Princess, it is common for us to cooperate with environments abroad,” says Bjøro.

He further states that the reason for the type of fibrosis the Crown Princess has been shown is known to a small extent, but there is broad agreement that it is not related to environmental or lifestyle factors as is the case with other more common types of pulmonary fibrosis.

The fact that the disease is detected in an early stage, is beneficial in terms of prognosis.

“Even if such a diagnosis will restrict my life, I am happy that the disease has been detected so early. My goal is still to work and participate in the official program as much as possible,” says the Crown Princess.

Source: The Royal Court

BREAKING: Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis

anonymoushouseplantfan:

That’s very sad news. I was never a fan of MM and her work ethics but I’d never wish any health problems on anyone. The usual life expectancy with this disease is 3-5 years.

Oh, this is horrible.

The Death of a Loved One from Opiate Addiction, Plainly & Honestly Told

jkottke:

From an independent newspaper here in Vermont, the heartbreaking and brutally honest obituary of Madelyn Linsenmeir, a 30-year-old mother who died from a drug addiction to opiates that lasted for more a decade.

When she was 16, she moved with her parents from Vermont to Florida to attend a performing arts high school. Soon after she tried OxyContin for the first time at a high school party, and so began a relationship with opiates that would dominate the rest of her life.

It is impossible to capture a person in an obituary, and especially someone whose adult life was largely defined by drug addiction. To some, Maddie was just a junkie – when they saw her addiction, they stopped seeing her. And what a loss for them. Because Maddie was hilarious, and warm, and fearless, and resilient. She could and would talk to anyone, and when you were in her company you wanted to stay. In a system that seems to have hardened itself against addicts and is failing them every day, she befriended and delighted cops, social workers, public defenders and doctors, who advocated for and believed in her ‘til the end. She was adored as a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, friend and mother, and being loved by Madelyn was a constantly astonishing gift.

This is powerfully straightforward writing by Linsenmeir’s family…my condolences are with them. They devoted a few paragraphs at the end of her obit to address addiction and its place in our society:

If you are reading this with judgment, educate yourself about this disease, because that is what it is. It is not a choice or a weakness. And chances are very good that someone you know is struggling with it, and that person needs and deserves your empathy and support.

If you work in one of the many institutions through which addicts often pass – rehabs, hospitals, jails, courts – and treat them with the compassion and respect they deserve, thank you. If instead you see a junkie or thief or liar in front of you rather than a human being in need of help, consider a new profession.

As in many other states, more and more people are dying of opiate overdoses in Vermont even as doctors cut the number of opioid prescriptions they write faster than other areas of the country.

RIP Paul Allen

jkottke:

Tech titan Paul Allen died yesterday at the age of 65 of complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remembered his friend in a short piece called “What I loved about Paul Allen”.

Paul foresaw that computers would change the world. Even in high school, before any of us knew what a personal computer was, he was predicting that computer chips would get super-powerful and would eventually give rise to a whole new industry. That insight of his was the cornerstone of everything we did together.

In fact, Microsoft would never have happened without Paul. In December 1974, he and I were both living in the Boston area – he was working, and I was going to college. One day he came and got me, insisting that I rush over to a nearby newsstand with him. When we arrived, he showed me the cover of the January issue of Popular Electronics. It featured a new computer called the Altair 8800, which ran on a powerful new chip. Paul looked at me and said: “This is happening without us!” That moment marked the end of my college career and the beginning of our new company, Microsoft. It happened because of Paul.

Gates also noted Allen’s love of music. In an interview earlier this year, legendary producer Quincy Jones said Allen “sings and plays just like Hendrix”.

Yeah, man. I went on a trip on his yacht, and he had David Crosby, Joe Walsh, Sean Lennon – all those crazy motherfuckers. Then on the last two days, Stevie Wonder came on with his band and made Paul come up and play with him – he’s good, man.

Here’s a short clip of Allen melting some faces:

As Heat Wave Sweeps the Globe, New Study Warns of Deadly Link Between Rising Temps and Suicide

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)