Glad your boy made a good recovery. That must have been heartwrenching for your family.
Robert A. Heinlein mentioned in one of his survival-based fiction stories on the importantance of recognizing Tularemia in any rabbits you killed. (Not that you were hunting rabbits that day.) He was talking about how back-to-nature survival wasn't as easy as us modern-day city folk imagined it to be.
Thank you very much. All is well. Well, I guess the 50k left uncovered kinda sucks, but, it was unfortunately timed with the short (6 week) period during which I was on [relatively crappy] health insurance via a consulting agency. Small price to pay, really.
Have to say, though, that as nasty and rare as it was, the one thing we (as a family) got out of the experience was realizing just how lucky we were to have something at least treatable. My son met more than one kid at that childrens' hospital that will probably never go home.
Robert A. Heinlein mentioned in one of his survival-based fiction stories on the importantance of recognizing Tularemia in any rabbits you killed. (Not that you were hunting rabbits that day.) He was talking about how back-to-nature survival wasn't as easy as us modern-day city folk imagined it to be.
Heh...yeah...in talking about the malady with friends and family, none had ever heard of it.
Lo and behold, while engaging on some "team speak" with fellow players of an online game I enjoy, I mentioned it. One dude knew it right off - and actually told me quite a bit about it that I didn't know. Turns out he is a survival enthusiast/instructor. I'd wager he read the books to which you referred. Fascinating dude.
Only thing I remember about hunting rabbits was my dad would inspect the liver - very closely.
If it looked funky in any way, I got the job of burying it - not even the dogs could have it.