It’s always tough to see the people you grow up watching on television - and who are around the same age as you - die. It’s doubly tough when the person died of complications from pneumonia. Fucking pneumonia? Haven’t we solved that shit already? It seems so… preventable.
Age 41 is way too young to die. As someone who is 38 this year, it hits way too close to home.
I’m not an avid follower of NASCAR. I prefer racing that involves turning both directions. But on the weekends when I do turn on the TV to a race, for more than two decades, Kyle Busch was sure to be running at the front of the pack. He won two Cup championships whilst driving a Toyota branded car. As a fan of the Japanese brand, that’s very cool indeed.
We feel most awful for Kyle’s children, of course. To lose a father when they are still so young is unfathomably difficult.
And again, because of pneumonia. There’s something about this seemingly bad flu that somehow can turn into death very suddenly. Taiwanese pop star Barbie Hsu died back in 2025 from also a case of pneumonia turned horribly. She was only 48 years old.
If there’s one habit we gleamed from the pandemic, it should be proper hygiene practices. The constant hand-washing and sanitization since 2020 meant I’ve yet to catch a serious cold since that time. The preventative for pneumonia is largely the same. More importantly, if flu-like symptoms lingers on for a few days, for god’s sake, go see a doctor!
Ring road.