Earlier this week, Jan and I attended the 2018 CMV Public Health and Policy Conference. Several hundred people gathered in Burlington, VT including lots of parents like us as well as clinicians, researchers and medical specialists focused on a nasty virus called CMV.

If you don’t know what CMV is, you need to learn about it.

1. CMV is COMMON: In fact, it’s the leading viral cause of disabilities in newborns worldwide with more than 30,000 babies born each year with congenital CMV. Unfortunately, most physicians including OB-GYNs would tell you it’s rare and not to worry about it. 

2. CMV is SERIOUS: The list of lifelong impacts is long but it can cause hearing loss, vision loss, cerebral palsy, microcephaly, seizures and developmental disabilities.

3. CMV is PREVENTABLE: Simple, standard hygiene practices can prevent it’s transmission (how many times did you wash your hands today?).

But that’s not what this blog post is about. Well, it is, in...

Exactly one year ago this week my father marked his 100th birthday. Lots of family and friends attended his “party” to celebrate this huge milestone and to wish him well.

 My father’s good health and mental sharpness were certainly contributing factors to him becoming a centenarian. While I certainly didn’t take that for granted, we had every reason to believe that there would be another party in five years to celebrate his 105th birthday.

On that day, it seemed he would live forever. So when that didn’t happen last November, I was completely unprepared.

His passing has caused me a lot of pain and resulted in much soul searching.

Jan and I were the only family who lived nearby – on the same street, actually. Being raised by his immigrant parents, my father knew well the importance of family and he instilled those values in me.

So, we naturally did whatever we could to ensure his twilight years were fulfilling and comfortable despite...