Why Cooties Scare Me More Than Ever Today

I receive many funky stares and jokes about being a germaphobe, but with the amount of viruses and diseases out there.

I could care less.

I will be the first admit to turning down: shared drinks, beer pong games, kissing on the first date, or generally just swapping spit in any capacity with others.

What causes one to suddenly fear catching the cooties? For me, it was a family member.

My cousin died from Meningococcemi during his freshmen year at Fordham University. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/09/nyregion/rare-infection-quickly-kills-college-student.html The virus attacked his body so quickly that he was covered in lesions and swelled up to the point of being unrecognizable within a day. Then he died three days after entering the hospital.

To this day, the way he died still scares me. In my mind, kids in college aren't suppose to die from weird viruses. Or die at all for that matter.

My cousin was like a brother and I loved him to death. I spent a majority my childhood with him and my sister on Martha's Vineyard during the summer. I could tag along behind him like an annoying chatterbox without him wanting to pound my face in the ground. Unlike my sister, he actually liked me around him.

To say his death affected me to a small degree would be an understatement.

After learning about Meningococcemi it scared me more than his death. The fact that someone could die from a rare disease that involved kissing, sharing a drink, or even a cigarette was a wake up call to me.

So, no. I will not share drinks. Or allow someone to drink after me. Kissing strangers is out of the question. And it should be for you too!

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but today is the anniversary of my cousin's death.

I miss him. It makes me sad. I have an itch in my throat and every sick child and adult that I know is sending shivers down my spine.

So, today I think about him.

We miss you more than ever, Ray.

Love you!