Thank you, Audrey

The story on the front page of this morning’s paper, “Loneliness darkens twilight years,” made my blood run cold.  The photo gave me the chills.

Photo: Mike de Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The essence of the article is that loneliness increases the chances of early death by 45%. This, compared to alcohol (30%) and obesity (20%).

Audrey Brennan, the woman in the photo, is 86. Until a few years ago, she lived in her own house, drove a minivan, went with her friends to lunch and the theater, had a life that involved moving and driving, going and seeing, chatting and listening. The life she had sounds like fun. It was, at the very least, a life of her own design.

So then she went out to get the morning paper one day, slipped on a patch of ice and broke her hip. Boom. Her entire life pretty much evaporated…