One of the best stories in yesterday’s Columbus Dispatch wasn’t written by a reporter. Mike Commodore, a defenseman for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, wrote a first person account of his recent bout with the flu. You can read it here.
Commodore might have a career as a writer after he gets done pounding opponents into the ice at Nationwide Arena. His description is vivid, accurate and captures the essence of what the flu really does to you far better than a list of symptoms from the CDC.
Hockey players are tough. Insanely tough. They have gashes in their face stitched up without anesthesia and go back out on the ice for their next shift without missing a beat. They voluntarily stand in front of a piece of frozen vulcanized rubber coming at them at over 70 MPH. They spend 82 nights a year skating around an ice rink at full speed slamming into other behemonths on skates whose sole mission in life is to knock them into next week – all for the chance to get to the playoffs where things really get intense.
Commodore’s one of the toughest of the tough, and this little tiny virus knocked him out far worse than any opponenent ever did. So learn from Mike and do your best to avoid the flu this season. Stay away from people who are sick, use plenty of hand sanitizer, avoid touching your eyes or mouth, cough or sneeze into a tissue and throw it away (or into a sleeve if you don’t have a tissue) and if you develop flu symptoms yourself, stay away from others, get lots of rest and seek medical attention if your symptoms become severe.
Keep checking in here for the most up-to-the-minute information about the flu situation on campus. And if you get a chance, head down to the arena district to check out a Blue Jackets game. Once you experience NHL Hockey in person, you’ll be a fan for life!
John A. Vaughn, MD (The Ohio State University Student Health Services)