Why Zombies Will Not Eat My Brain

My father passed away tragically on 27 January 2008, one day before his 51st birthday. He died of a stroke caused by a brain hemorrhage. Twenty-five years prior, my dad suffered a brain hemorrhage and a stroke. He was born with an AVM (arteriovascular malformation) which is when your blood vessels are basically in a knot. He was a ticking time bomb. The fact that he hit his head almost daily (he was 6’5" and was stationed on a submarine) did not help. AVMs can be genetic. Ever since I turned 25, I have feared my 26th birthday because my dad was 26 when he had his brain trauma. The day he died made me fear my age even more. It also made me spring into action and call my doctor. I got my MRI and I went to the doctor last week to get my results. The Good News is that I DON’T have an AVM. YAY!!! The Bad News is that I have FMD (Fibromuscular Dysplasia). Basically I have a blood vessel in my brain that looks like a string of pearls. This weakens the blood vessel and increases my chances of developing more serious problems such as aneurysm or hemorrhage. Luckily, if I quit smoking, eat right, exercise, and keep my stress level down, I will have no ill effects. I also need to go to the hospital for further testing. I need a PDA (Power Doppler Angiogram) test to confirm my diagnosis. I’m just glad that I do not have an AVM and that I don’t have an aneurysm. My brother Michael is also going to the doctor because he is getting bad headaches.

Kevin M. Cornelius 1957-2008 Semper Fi, Dad

Kevin Mark Cornelius, 50, of Spanaway, died January 27, 2008 at Harborview Medical Center. He was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma on January 28, 1957 to William Lester and Agnes Marie Cornelius (Schaeffer). Kevin attended Visitation School from 1963 to 1971 and graduated from Mount Tahoma High School in 1974. He joined the Marine Corps in 1976, and after four years switched services to the Navy. In 1983, Kevin was medically retired from the Navy due to a brain hemorrhage. He was a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans organizations. He married Marilyn Elizabeth Smith in 1978. They were married for 17 years and had three children. After he was discharged from the Navy, Kevin worked at Wells Fargo for a few years and then joined the Post Office, where he worked from 1986 to 1996. Kevin loved square dancing and met Beth Ann Sanders (Henderson) in 1996 and married her one year later. He and Beth adopted their grandchild Isabelle Marie Cornelius in 2002. Kevin is survived by his parents W. Lester and Agnes Cornelius, his brothers Michael (Debbie) Cornelius and Joseph (Gail) Cornelius, his sister Deanna (Bonnie) Cornelius, his wife Beth, his children: Amy (Robert) DeMarco (Cornelius), Allison Cornelius, and Michael Cornelius, his step children Jayme Hodel (Sanders), Todd Sanders, and April Knesal (Sanders), and many other relatives and friends. The funeral service will be held at Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Sat., Feb. 2, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. The graveside service will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery, Mon., Feb. 4, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. Service directed by Weeks' Dryer Mortuary.