The Lung, and the price of a breath of fresh air.

All Smokers, Marijuana Enthusiasts, and Noxious Fume Inhalers BEWARE -- This posting may rattle you....

Today, I assisted in a procedure called a brochio-alveolar lavage. In short, we used a really neat fiber optic camera that went down into the most precious monkeys lungs and inserted fluids and then sucked it back up -- all in the name of research of course. In realty, it was way cool! You see, there is a disease of the lungs that occurs most commonly when children are born premature that does not allow the lungs to breathe properly and expel fluids and dead cells. This disease haunts these kids throughout their entire life, and the only releif these people/kids get is to hook them up to a machine that allows them to breathe with one lung while they flush out all the "junk" and fluids from the other, then they get the joy of having the other lung pumped as well. Not only is this procedure invasive, uncomfortable, and not offered by your run-of-the-mill hospitals these days, it s also very difficult, expensive, and painful. Currently, this is the only procedure to offer these kids/children relief. Hence, this amazing research being conducted at my place of employment -- YAY!

In the down time in between monkeys, I had several minutes to discuss the research (FASCINATING Folks --Really!!!) and the lung itself. In short terms it all boiled down to -- those of you tormenting your lungs with cigarettes and fumes thinking your lungs are invincible.....your lungs are LYING to you! I learned today the man upstairs, god almighty, apparetly knew that someday stupid humans woudl find tobacco and smoke it. Really, he did! He gave man, and woman of course, 70% more lung than we really needed. Thats a LOT of lung, people! You can survive with only half of it and survive and function like a normal human being.

Not only dod god give you too much lung, but he also created it to LIE to you when you decide to destroy it. You see, the almighty lung will function normaly until you have smoked it into oblivion to the "point-of-no-return!" In laymens terms, the day you start to realize your lungs cannot handle the smoke anymore, you might as well kiss your ass goodbye because life is coming to an end -- in the fastlane!

So, you nasty nicotine addicts that continue to torment your lungs -- sorry about your luck! To those of you loving your lungs and using em' - Hooray for you! Know that deep down your clear and free breathin' lungs are thanking you. Amen.

Meanwhile, let me just tell you all that in order to play with the monkeys I got to put on the most ridiculous puffy white marshmallow suit followed by a clear plastic windshield (it really was a fashion statement -- pictures soon along with excellent monkey story!), it was so worth it! Move over kitties, the monkeys were WAY cooler! Their little feet and hands are so much like ours and they hold your hand -- so cute! Forget kids, honey - can I just have a monkey instead?