The Great Motorcycle Debate! Helmet Or No Helmet?

The debate rages on....!
In this corner you have the freedom camp! Their anthem is something like: "Don't force your stupid helmet laws on us 'cause you're taking away our freedom to choose! I should have the right to decide these things for myself! There's nothing like feelin' the breeze on the open road!"
In the other corner, are people who are afraid they might have to watch or have watched their sons (or some significant other) suffer and/or die because they weren't wearing a helmet.

One Mother's Story
Not only am I the mother of a motorcycle rider, but I'm also someone who has been a motorcycle fan for most of my adult life. My son comes from a family of motorcycle enthusiasts, racers and even has relatives that have been involved in motorcycle manufacturing so we're not novices to the pros and cons of motorcycle riding and the helmet wearing debate.

The Phone Call
It was Sept 28, 2003 when the call came. You know, the one that every mother dreads might happen someday! Well, my someday had arrived. It was the Orlando Medical Center telling me my son had been seriously injured etc. etc. etc. Your mind goes blank and you temporarily go deaf part way through one of those calls so I didn't get all the details. By the way, I live in Massachusetts to make matters worse and at the time had very little money. I managed to get some money and made it to Florida and will never forget my first sight of my son in the ICU. I'll spare you the gory details.

What To Expect
They always try to minimize the prognosis at first, since he was still unconscious, we had to wait to see the extent of brain damage. Yes, they used those words. He had surgery on both sides of his brain--bilateral hematoma. Don't you just love expanding your vocabulary? The projections ran the gamut of possibilities but we had to wait till he woke up.

"The Miracle"
He woke up! The first few days were quite challenging since his personality was very combative at first. He ended up being a very lucky young man due to many factors which I like to think of as "The Miracle".
First, his accident happened at night as he was entering his condo complex which means he had just entered the gate and was going slow. No-one knows exactly what happened but he apparently lost control right there. The nearest unit with a view of the gate was quite a distance away but that's where the second part of "The Miracle" kicked in literally! The horn got stuck! Someone ended up looking out of their window and calling for help! The third part was that the Life Flight helicopter arrived quickly and delivered him to Orlando Medical Center. Finally, one of the best Neurosurgeons in the state was on call and available when my son was brought in. If any of these factors hadn't occurred, he would have died...alone, in the dark, until someone drove into the condo complex.

Residual Effects
It took a while for his personality to get close to his normal sweet self. (My term, not his!) He lost hearing on one side and lost his sense of taste. His short term memory is still spotty but vastly improved from the first few weeks after the accident. He does get headaches but that could be from the stress of running his own pool building business. Yes, he was able to resume his business after a few weeks. He met a wonderful girl and got married and last year had a beautiful son who, of course is a miracle!

So What About The Helmet Debate
I've always worn a helmet even when there were no helmet laws. My son and some other relatives wore them when required by law but if left to their own choosing didn't always wear a helmet. Florida didn't have a helmet law in 2003 so he wasn't wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Would he wear one now? Yes, if he ever gets another motorcycle.
So what about everyone else? I certainly don't presume to tell the world how to live. I'm writing this to give the "freedom camp" something to think about. My son's accident was not on a highway at high speed but, when getting your head clobbered on the pavement/curb, it doesn't take much speed to break your brain! It's the only brain you have and I've seen a lot of people who weren't as lucky as my son and had much more permanent brain damage.

You Decide
So really, you have a serious decision to make. You could decide it's worth the risk for yourself as an individual because you want to feel the wind (bugs?) blowing through your hair. But, don't forget to ask yourself "How will my mother (fill in the blank with any significant other) feel when she gets that call late one night from an Intensive Care Unit or Emergency Room? Will the first thing she thinks be 'Oh God was he wearing a helmet?' Or will she thank God because she knows you always wear a helmet? Like I said you decide!

Thinking of Learning to Scuba Dive? Nothing to Fear!

Scuba diving is a marvelous adventure. The weightlessness of the water, the surreal world of life, shape and color, and the amazing discoveries that can be had beneath the surface of the water are unequaled anywhere else on the earth. And with 71% of our planet covered with water, there is truly much to explore.

As with all sports, scuba diving does require some preparation, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

Maybe you have been one of those who have thought of learning to scuba, but have been kept from even trying because of hesitations and fears of one sort or another. This phenomenon is fairly common, and also easily remedied.

One of the most common fears is of being close to marine creatures. If you have been one of those feeling hesitant about this, some simple education can help. Many fears of being in close proximity with creatures from below the surface of the sea have come from years of misinformation from television and movies. These fears are usually unwarranted.

For example, a few of the oceans' inhabitants such as the shy octopus, the giant squid, and the gentle orca, have each been portrayed at different times as terrible monsters. In reality, none of these creatures are a real threat to human beings at all.

Even the shark, commonly considered to be the most dreaded of all of the ocean's predators, is not the terror that Hollywood has made it out to be. In fact, your chances of dying from a bee sting are far greater than from being attacked by a shark!

Sharks have often mistaken a surfer or a swimmer for a seal or an injured fish, and then easily follow nature's instincts and bite, thinking they have a meal. Interestingly, humans don't even taste that good to sharks, so they usually let go after biting. As a diver, when you are down in the same water with the shark, they are more likely to perceive you as a neighbor, rather than dinner.

Another type of fish that has been the cause of fear is the barracuda. Simply remember that barracudas are attracted to shiny things, and remove all your jewelry before diving. You will then discover that the barracuda is just another curious fish. As a diver, you will be more likely to receive a peck from the miniscule damselfish than a bite from a barracuda.

Some varieties of marine creatures can be hazardous to your health, such as the jellyfish, the Portuguese Man-O-War, the lionfish, scorpionfish, and the rockfish. Learn to identify these creatures so you can keep your distance, and they will gladly avoid you. Then be watchful so you don't happen to get caught up in jellyfish tendrils (with painful, though not fatal, stinging cells), and avoid brushing up against a rockfish with its poisonous spines.

Getting qualified diving instruction will go a long way to allaying any fears. A good instructor will assist you in preparing physically and mentally for an enjoyable diving experience. Then, as you dive more often, you will find yourself getting more comfortable in the water, your air consumption rate will drop because your breathing will relax more and more, and you will find yourself wondering what took you so long to start!