The Dow what?

I'm starting to feel singularly responsible for the nation's economy. How else do you explain the dramatic downturns that have accompanied my last two health crises?

In the fall of 2008, I remember a fog of scary newspaper headlines while I was preoccupied with my own bad news -- a nasty tumor that appeared suddenly in my gut and grew quickly. The economy contintued to struggle for months while I dealt with chemo and surgery. I felt bad for the ecomony, but I didn't have the energy or desire to indulge my usual joy of shopping.

Gradually we both returned to better health, the economy and I, and things were looking brighter until earlier this summer. Then, as economists and bond raters furrowed their brows at the growing U.S. debt and Congressional inaction, doctors frowned at my latest CT results. Nobody liked what they saw.

This week's market plunge coincided with my hospital stay, but hopefully the worst is over. I'm slowly regaining my strength, and the markets are trying to work their way back to health.

Now I'm more than curious: what was the state of the economy during my breast cancer battle in 1996-97? Either way, let's get on with a sustained recovery!