Page 9 - Sojourner Newsletter-Fall 2024 Final1

Volume 101, Issue 4 9

NATIONAL SURGEON

How old are you today, or will be in 6 months, or 6 years?

The simple truth is that we are always growing older, never younger. And if you are over the age of 30, as
most of us are, you are progressively losing calcium from your bones, slowly but surely, and your bones
become progressively more brittle and subject to breaking under stress. In your older years, a fall can easily
result in a fracture, and a hip fracture can be disastrous. The problem is not so much the inability to walk for a
while, but the consequences of possibly being immobile in bed for an extendible period of time, which can
lead to a pneumonia or to a clot developing in a leg vein that can break off and travel to the heart or into your
lungs, and this can be disastrous to your health. Our esteemed ex-National Judge Adjuvant Brother Ben
Yudesis missed the last ANC in Austin, Texas because of a fall at home, but very fortunately he did not
fracture a bone, especially the hip. He is very lucky and is expected to recover well.

So, I admonish you to watch where you are going, be careful of impedances in the sidewalk, or going over a
curb which can be deceptive in heights or climbing a ladder which often times results in a fall and a hip
fracture, among many other potential hazards you may come across. The fall you prevent could save your
life.

I wish you all a safe, happy and healthy life.

Brother Dr. Bernie Harris

National Surgeon

“Balance is not something you find . . .
It’s something you create.”