Marfan Syndrome

While perusing the facebook.com "Causes" application and signing up for all the things I believe in (anti-smoking, "let's stop drunk driving," etc.), I decided to do a quick search to find out if anyone had a Marfan's awareness group. Lo and behold, there were three.

One of my very best friends died from Marfan Syndrome on the first of October, 2001. The very day (or night? I'm not sure) of the Josh Joplin show I mentioned in my previous post. Jeffrey was already dead or was about to be dead while I sat in a room crowded with people listening to a song that, even then, made me disarmingly nostalgic about the past, especially my days growing up in Chamblee, GA.

In any case, one of the Marfan Syndrome Awareness groups had this youtube.com video posted. It's pretty interesting. Never before had I heard that Jonathan Larson, the creator and director of the smash hit Rent, was probably suffering from undiagnosed Marfan Syndrome. Assuming Larson did have the disease, he and Jeff were in the same boat: neither one of them had any idea of their condition while alive.

The quick video is informative and interesting. As Anthony Rapp says (in badly synced vocals, if your computer plays it the way mine did!), knowing the signs could help you save a life.