To find what’s happened to Michael Mosley quite anxiety provoking

[Glasto73lover]

It’s that idea of never really knowing what’s going to happen- the idea that we walk such a fine line in life. If you think too much about it, you probably wouldn’t leave the house.!

A close family member died suddenly and tragically a decade ago - literally dropped dead at home age 48 - something went pop in their head. So you genuinely don’t know when your time is up.

It’s that idea of a chain of consequence that can go so horribly wrong too- people always say ‘oh but you could get hit by a bus’ - stuff like this actually makes me really anxious. So many what ifs.

For Michael Moseley - a chain of probably inconsequential decisions may have led to his death- not having a phone on him, choosing to undertake a walk that in the U.K. is nothing but in that heat, was devastating and probably caused his death.

It makes me anxious that I won’t know if I am making those decisions - am I making sense? I think as I have got older, I have become more anxious and risk averse (thanks menopause) and as a result, you could end up not leaving the house. How do you choose a sensible approach? Not too much risk but some!

But I also want to live my life too!! I guess I find incidents like this quite difficult!

I guess always having a phone, not undertaking walks in intense heat in an unfamiliar place etc are the common sense points that will come out of this tragedy.

Aibu to find it anxiety provoking tho?!

It’s true to say I always notice on holiday that Brits rock out in the heat scantily clad where other nationalities tend to scuttle to the shade.

I think we did need a national awakening.

It’s Really sad. It has made me think that it could happen to anyone. Just popping for a quick walk, you might not think to take your phone etc . Really sad and possibly not a quick passing either x

There were pay phones everywhere when I was a child and often police men walking about. People weren't choosing to be out of touch. There was just nothing they could do about it. When mobile phones started coming out in the 90s I bought specifically so that I could make a call if the car broke down in the middle of nowhere.

oddly (and I am 70) that's not how I remember it 40 years ago. No we didn't phone or telegraph from ships often, but definitely for birthdays and similar occasions. in the early 90's DH and I went to the US with his job and I used to phone my Mum for a chat once a week, also phone the in laws. Yes it wasn't cheap but definitely affordable. the line was always clear and fine. I do think though that "ordinary people" did do less sensationalist things. the clearest example of this is more people climbing Everest, but I also think that generally more people do undertake more extreme activities casually and that part of the reason for this is better safety options including communication. I don't know about younger people being anxious...or older ones. For myself, I find it much more convenient to have my mobile with me when I am out...as anyone who has broken down miles from anywhere (yes its possible in the UK) will tell you. Yes I know that mobile coverage isn't perfect but some is surely better than none? Of course we didn't just stay in doors, that is a silly comment, but if there is a development that increases safety then why deliberately choose not to use it?

@Disturbia81 thank you for replying. Maybe for people like you and I it is down to a different way of expressing ourselves.

For me, the so many of the posts sound very harsh and critical. I dislike the tone as to me it sounds really unkind and unfair given that IMO everyone makes the best choice that they can at any time, that he so sadly died and that berating MM's choices in hindsight is nasty.

But maybe that is not how other people feel about being critical, maybe it's not nasty to them.....

Sending you an unmumsnetty hug as I too am really saddened by the loss of such a lovely man.

So lifestyle choices are effective then

So for those who keep a certain weight for health reasons, not vanity, that shows a certain humility that we are not invincible

Back atcha x

so no longer being fertile is the beginning of the end for women - so when do mens bodies 'wind down'?

I also mentioned hunting days if you read more closely.

Humans get old.

They don't cure type 2 diabetes but they can put it in remission if it is relatively mild. That not true of most other diseases though.

Definitely more awareness and yes his fame will help spread that message. He's unintentionally going to help a lot of people even in death as he did in life, and I think the adventurous and experimental side of him would be satisfied with that (if it happened a lot later in life though) His contribution to helping people is endless, his videos, his advice, his sad death and his legacy will keep going and helping millions.

I made a split second stupid decision once that could have resulted in severe injury or death and was lucky for me that it didn’t. I sometimes think about it and it does frighten me because I otherwise would think of myself as an intelligent and sensible person but on that occasion I wasn’t. It is possible that anybody can risk assess things poorly. However we mostly do manage to survive and learn from mistakes and near misses. Like you say OP we would never do anything if we worried about everything.

I’m sorry I’m still not sure I see it that way.

It’s the sense of powerfulness implied by the fact that keeping a certain weight will dictate things that demonstrates a lack of humility.

Personally I think weight is overhyped as the key to longevity. This is not just my personal observations of older relatives and friends but also a lot of studies indicating that the overweight category on BMI metrics live the longest. This might be complicated ( they are less uptight personality types in the first place etc etc) rather than being driven by the needle on the scales per se. But it’s far from guaranteed that being thin means not dying.

We all make mistakes.

And we actually don’t know why exactly MM took the decisions he did.

I like the fact he’s still educating - and provoking discussion - in death. And I think he’d have liked it too!

This is an awful tragedy and many of us have seen it as avoidable. We are baffled and frustrated at the loss of this lovely man. I always watched his TV programmes and will miss him as a presenter.

However, though it's no consolation now, his wife did say she had been very lucky to have shared her life with MM. She said they were very happy and loved each other. She had 44 years of marriage, having met when they were students, and 4 children. This is a lot more than many people here have had (myself included) and they were both wealthy and healthy as well. MM had a privileged upbringing and a comfortable life.
Also, although it sounds awful, MM himself said he would like to die quickly. At least he didn't linger for years with some terrible disease. I wish my mum had died like him instead of a long, painful decline.

I think we can honour his legacy by trying to follow his advice and adopting his positive attitude.

People had to stick to plans a lot more! None of this “ I’m sorry the traffic is awful; I’m not going to make it!”

It was the first thing we said to each other that his wife will spend the rest of her days kicking herself and being furious with him.

Who's "we"? Do you know his wife, have you had a chat with her?

She didn't sound furious with her husband or herself in the incredibly dignified statement she released. She was grateful for the lucky life they had shared and acknowledged that shit happens.

I bet she will continue to have a fulfilling life, just as MM did.

Men's bodies very clearly start winding down from their 40s onwards, similar to women's. This is why the following exist: veteran sports leagues, extra minutes for military fitness tests, Viagra, mens health vitamins, Just For Men hair dye adverts, and hiking poles. Some of these are for both men and women obviously.

Regarding the lifestyle discussions - of course a healthy lifestyle can limit the risk of disease but also there are things you can't control. It's not one or the other. Some examples:
My DH is a healthy, active 40 something yet when he did his 40s health check he was found to be overweight with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugars. That was a shock! The doctor said he was high risk for an early heart attack, stroke and diabetes. By losing weight, changing his diet and lifestyle he's brought these numbers down to normal and is now not an increased risk for heart disease etc. So that's an example of us being able to control our health.
Another example of health problems you can't control. I got a rare type of cancer in my 30s. I was a slim, non-smoking vegetarian who lived a healthy life. The type of cancer I got is usually only seen in old men who've worked with asbestos for decades or people in their 60s who've smoked for decades. There was nothing I could have done to avoid this. I was already doing all the right things to prevent cancer and other diseases.
So life can be a lottery - some things can be controlled and others can't (unsurprisingly).

"but in many countries construction workers and farmers have to work in these temperatures and do not die."
When I was on holiday in Portugal (Sesimbra), there was some ship building going on on the other side of the bay. The construction workers started around 3.00 or 4.00 in the morning. It stopped during the day, and then resumed again late evening.
Obviously, I cannot remember the exact times now, but the sounds carried around the bay.
Sesimbra is not the usual touristy spot, (mainly Portuguese). The sounds were noticeable from where our accommodation was, but I can't say it was annoying. I think we accepted that this was going on. But it was something we especially noticed at the time.

This is my thoughts too, that he was feeling unwell so perhaps already heading towards heat stroke.

His plan was to make the short walk to Pedi and then get the bus back to their holiday home.

But perhaps the half an hour walk tipped him over into confusion leading him to get lost in Pedi and end up on a path up a mountain in the opposite direction to their house.

Yes, I thought that too when people are saying 'I wouldn't walk anywhere at 40c!'. Well, those of us with children still had to walk them to school in 40c!

That's a nice thought. He was very adventurous - being deliberately infected with a tape worm being one I always remember - his wife was none too pleased, apparently! I like the idea of him looking down from heaven and seeing that his last walk actually carried on his legacy of passing on health advice in a way that can be easily understood by the general public.