Checking the
Bucket List Annie McCall, 72, of Victoria, Australia (Oz), was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in 2014. She is a retired sheep farmer and district nurse. Her passions include softball, travel, gem hunting and her family. This is her story. By Annie McCall
I
made a bucket list in my 40s of the places I wished to travel. I crossed Africa off the top of my list when I went with my daughter and a bunch of friends. It was everything that I dreamed of since seeing the film “Hatari!” when I was 12. I crossed more items off my list when my cousin Angie and I visited the Greek Islands and toured Bulgaria by car. My late husband and I holidayed in Bali, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Java because going from West Australia to Asia was more affordable than other destinations. When I was a farmer in my 20s, it was my dream to go caravanning across Australia when I retired. When I met my partner Danny in my late 40s, it was his dream too, and his hobby of gem hunting became mine. Each year, Danny and I camp in our van and
go north during the winter to dig for gems all around Oz. We have found zircons, opals, garnets, citrine, topaz, aventurine, quartz and more. All of my trips and activities are arranged around my sports. I play softball two or three times a year with a team 300 km (186 miles) away. I have flown from Queensland to play softball and left Danny digging for gems. Play Ball Ball Play I’ve played softball most of my life. I started a team of farmer wives when I lived in Esperance. My team played for 10 years before we won gold. I discovered masters softball in the early 2000s. My two daughters, Chelle and Cindy, are over 35 and occasionally play on my team. We played in Sydney and New Zealand for the World Masters and in Tasmania for the Oz masters. My weekly softball game is 75 kilometers (47 miles) away. Chelle and my grandkids play with me, so I make a day of it. It’s a lovely catch-up with them. I also play tennis three times a week with an over-50s group in the nearest town, Mount Beauty. Every year Cindy and I meet in Melbourne at the Australian Open to see the final matches. It costs more than an overseas holiday, but it’s worth it. Unheard-of Diagnosis Unheard-of Diagnosis In 2014, I played in the Victorian Masters Softball in June with no problems. When we started our local season in October, I was suddenly breathless. By November, I could not walk or go up inclines without stopping for breath. I had two occasions of extreme breathlessness in the 1990s. One was when I climbed Mount Augustus in Western Australia with my uncle Geoff. The other time was after white water rafting on the Zambezi
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PATHLIGHT // ISSUE 4
