April has been one of the most difficult months of my life. It started with identity theft and ended with a 24-year-old loved one in intensive care since Friday the 18th. Without getting into too much detail, the last ten days have been very difficult.

Folks, all the money in the world means nothing if you don't live long enough to enjoy it. This is not a new revelation; still, you shouldn't wait for someone to nearly die to remember it.

This whole mess might have been avoided if he had just gone for an annual physical and blood test. Instead, he has gone through hell and back and has a long road of recover ahead of him.

Close the browser, call a doctor, and get a physical.

Your portfolio will be there when you get back.

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Comment on this [ 19 ]	By: Joe Ponzio

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Good luck to you Joe... We too will be here when you get back. Take all the time you need.

by J.F. Hardy on April 28, 2008 at 9:28 AM

I concur with J.F. Hardy, take care of your loved ones. We'll be here rereading your old post and reading all the new and relevant SEC docs thanks to your slick RSS for Edgar feature. Thanks.

by C.G. Robare on April 28, 2008 at 9:44 AM

Good luck with everything Joe, we all wish you and your loved one the best.

by Jeff on April 28, 2008 at 10:27 AM

I advise people to buy a blood pressure monitor and check thier B.P.
I bought one for myself, only to have normal readings, and then my brother grabbed it to try it out as a joke. It read 170/150 - after looking it up on the internet it advised that he should go to an emergency room immediately.

He was diagnosed with malignent hypertension. (See this guide) http://www.merck.com/mmhe...

If I had not brought around the B.P. Monitor by chance, he would have been dead within 3-6 months. Now he is taking tablets to control his B.P. and trying to lose weight.

by ziggystardust on April 28, 2008 at 10:36 AM

Joe,

What you said in this post is exactly right. I'm sorry to hear about your loved one. I wish him a speedy recovery, and hoping you can get thru this too. Thanks again for all the help you've provided us.

by Howard on April 28, 2008 at 10:37 AM

Joe,
Great post, and I am praying for a speedy recovery.

by bryan on April 28, 2008 at 11:17 AM

hopefully this will pass and the the rest of the year will be a brighter one for you and your loved ones.

by Sami on April 28, 2008 at 12:32 PM

Best wishes to your loved one, your family and you.

Thanks a lot for your good advices

by Duc Le on April 28, 2008 at 3:29 PM

I've taken physicals before, but it doesn't seem like doctors are really focused on you. I've told them I have pain in certain areas but they just acknowledge it and go on. This was from a Kaiser Permanente clinic.

It seems like the best advice is simple:
"patients would be better off if doctors spent their time counseling them on such things as stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet and drinking moderately, using seat belts and having working smoke alarms in their houses."

reference: http://query.nytimes.com/...;sec=health&pagewanted=all

So I guess we all shouldn't just invest time in wealth, but in health as well.

Joe, if this is a cancer-related issue, you may be interested in this video:
http://video.google.com/v...

It's about using food as medicine, the speaker makes a lot of sense to me.

by Peter on April 28, 2008 at 8:20 PM

Best wishes, and try to take it easy.

Everithing is gone be all right.

Just trust in it.

Warm regards.

by Gustavo Sapienza on May 1, 2008 at 8:31 AM

Like you always say Joe, price eventually always follows value. Your circumstances will rise again to meet your value as a good person and
as a great teacher of investing. Thank you for all you've done.

by Ron on May 1, 2008 at 9:53 PM

We wish you the best for you and your loved ones Joe. Regards.

by Guillermo Perez on May 2, 2008 at 7:32 AM

Good Luck Joe

by Steve on May 6, 2008 at 3:05 PM

Sincerely hope things work out for the best for your loved one.

by Dean on May 7, 2008 at 11:47 PM

Hope everything goes well.

If we have $1,000,000,000, 1 is your health, if 1 falls down, you left 000,000,000.

by jay on May 8, 2008 at 12:06 AM

We want Joe!
We want Joe!
We want Joe!
We want Joe!

Where aer you? I look forward to your blog and the ercent inactivity makes me sad :-(

by karl on May 8, 2008 at 6:17 PM

Well said as usual

It's amazing how your focus quickly changes when you or a loved one no longer is in good health.

As the old adage goes, don't sweat the small stuff and most everything is small stuff. I will probably spend the rest of my life trying to acheive that simple goal.

by BlahBlah on May 10, 2008 at 10:35 PM

I wish you and your family health and safety.

Take time, take care. Come to think of it this is another very good reason to invest in wonderfull companies. You just don't want to be worrying about your portfolio when there are more important things to take care of.

by F van den Broek on May 13, 2008 at 6:31 AM

Thanks all. I've always put family first. I apologize for taking time off, but I had to find a balance between what I had to do and what I wanted to do.

My brother is doing well now - getting better every day. Let's hope that is the end of the Joe Ponzio drama for a while!

by Joe Ponzio on May 14, 2008 at 10:40 AM

Money Means Nothing If...

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