December 2022

Friend’s change to will may signal serious issue

Dear Abby: You printed a letter from an individual whose failing, elderly friend made an abrupt change to his will (“Promise Withdrawn in Texas,” Aug. 27). Because of the change, the elder’s entire estate will go to his live-in caregivers. The writer expressed surprise that the 90-year-old gentleman had reneged on his oft-repeated promise to name the individual in his will.

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Virus damages heart muscle, causing congestive heart failure

Dear Dr. Roach: I read your recent column on longhaul effects in COVID compared to the flu. About 14 years ago, a young neighbor caught some kind of virus. His wife said he was never the same after that. He was in his mid-40s. There were several fundraisers in the area to try to raise money for the young family. He needed a heart transplant and was put on a waiting list. His cardiologist wrote an article for the local paper explaining that many people suffer heart damage from the flu and other viruses. The doctor was trying to explain that not everyone with heart disease made poor health decisions such as smoking.

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Texas History Minute: Thomas Connelly, small town attorney turned global leader

The twentieth century transformed the United States from a moderate power only loosely involved in world affairs into a superpower where most questions of foreign relations revolved around American goals and intentions. Much of this transition began taking place during the period just before and just after World War II. Numerous treaties were ratified, planning was required, and many discussions took place in the U. S. Senate. An important part of this work in creating a global role for the United States came from a one-time, small-town attorney from McLennan County, Texas.

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