Posted on 11/20/2001 1:20:39 PM PST by RaceBannon
The really bizarre thing about her illness (apart from its incredible swiftness) was that the doctors NEVER determined what it was. At first, they thought she had lung cancer (she was a smoker.) When that didn't pan out, they thought it was pneumonia. Nope. Then, they decided she had tuberculosis, even though they admitted they had no idea how she could have caught it. Well, when the TB tests came out negative, they basically threw up their hands and gave up. Her sudden death remained a mystery.
Yesterday, when hearing about this Connecticut lady, I suddenly thought of my poor neighbor, and it hit me: Damn if all her symptoms didn't fit those of inhalation anthrax.
I'm a bit unnerved by the thought, and I'm not sure what--if anything--to make of it.
I've been thinking along those lines too. Specifically, flowers. For two reasons. First, women buy them and like to sniff them in the stores. Both the woman in NY and in Connecticut were older women and might have recieved flowers from a visitor. Second, most of the vendors who sell flowers in NYC are foreigners. While they may not be lacing the flowers with anthrax, they may well be acccidentaly contaminating the flowers while they are working on sending anthrax letters from their shops or even carrying the stuff on their clothing from their homes.
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Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - yorktown
Anthrax staggers Oxford By GREG SHULAS gshulas@ctpost.com OXFORD -- Residents of this rustic Naugatuck Valley town found themselves in the national spotlight Tuesday on news that one of their own apparently has been diagnosed with inhalation anthrax. Television news satellite trucks converged near the Edgewood Road home of Ottillie Lundgren, 94, who is in critical condition in Griffin Hospital in Derby. Many of the town's 9,800 residents were in disbelief. Baij Malik, who runs the Oxford Market at a local Mobil gas station, said it's hard to believe the town has suddenly been linked with the recent anthrax attacks. "Of course we are shocked," Malik said. "The people of Oxford are shocked. It is a quiet community. It is a peaceful community." Neighbors described Lundgren as a sharp, gracious and articulate widow whose age and frailty kept her home most of the time, but did not undermine her spirit. She has lived in Oxford for about 40 years, said neighbor Elanor Klarides. "She is very bright. She is very well-spoken," Klarides said. Neighbor Tad Harrison said Lundgren's husband died 20 years ago after he was stricken with multiple sclerosis. Lundgren took care of him while he was ailing, Harrison said. "They were a very pleasant couple," said Harrison, who was on his front porch watching State Police block off a section of Lundgren's road. Harrison said he has never witnessed such an event happen in town in the 28 years he's been a resident. "I have no idea how she got anthrax. I have no idea," he said. Fred Pommer, who has been Oxford's fire marshal for 38 years, said he couldn't imagine how Lundgren contracted the disease, either. "Now it's getting out to the small towns. I don't know how it would get up here," he said. "All of this terrorism concerns me. I thought we were safe from all terrorism here, but we perhaps aren't as safe as we thought we were," Palmer said. "This is really a disaster," said resident Joseph Kluczinsky, 84. "It's astounding that it's here in Oxford. You don't know where someone would plant this stuff, but you have to breathe all the time. This is bad," he said. Oxford is known for its farms, but Lundgren's house is in a suburban neighborhood with lots ranging from a half-acre to an acre. Livestock -- particularly sheep -- can be vectors for anthrax, but neighbors said there are no farms near the home. Meanwhile, officials in nearby communities braced for a deluge of questions from concerned, confused citizens. Derby Mayor Marc Garofalo said city workers would be on hand today to answer residents' questions. But anyone who suspects a real emergency should call 911, not City Hall, he said. He stressed that anthrax cannot be passed from person to person, and that residents who have friends and families at Griffin Hospital should not be concerned about anthrax. But June Rivers, 33, of Derby said the anthrax-related events had changed the way she views shopping and using the mail. "People should pay the bills through the Internet instead of using the mail," she said. Correspondent Meg Barone contributed to this report.
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