Robin Williams Passing

[thesometimesaint]

This hits so close to home I can't stop crying.

http://time.com/3111911/robin-williams-dead-parkinsons/

[VideoGameJunkie]

Had no idea he had Parkinsons. Depression and anxiety are very serious illnesses.

[Mola Ram Suda Ram]

My best friends mom had Parkinson and that is the only way I have known her. this is a tragedy. That is all I can say about it. He didn't need to go kill him self. Lots of people live through the same types of things that troubled Robin.  I am just sad that he did it.

[thesometimesaint]

We never really know the demons that plague others. It's been a little over two years since I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. I've reconciled that it will kill me someday, but I see no reason to hurry along the process.

[Tacenda]

I think Robin was distraught about money and leaving enough for his children, believe it or not. I'm most likely going to get early early onset Alzheimer's because it runs in my family. My cousin got diagnosed with it at age 60. I often think of death and dying before my children have to see me that way. This could have been on his mind. But it's hard too, because you have Michael J. Fox that has struggled, but he didn't have it piggyback mental illness.

Thanks for the thread on Robin Williams, he is probably among my favorite top three actors. Also, I like how close he was to his children, and how they made it a point to keep that part out of the limelight so they could keep it for themselves. I'm sure it was hard to share their dad & husband with so many.

 

ETA:  Just saw this on FB.  It is something to think about.  Even thinking suicide is optional should be a no no I guess.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/08/12/suicide-contagion-and-social-media-the-dangers-of-sharing-genie-youre-free/

Edited August 15, 2014 by Tacenda

[katherine the great]

He was a kind and generous person as well as one of the funniest people ever.  He was all heart and I'm so sad he is gone.  

[Kenngo1969]

 

Safe Harbor of the Heart

 

There are refugees among us,

That are not from foreign shores

And the battles they are waging

Are from very private wars.

 

And there are no correspondents

Documenting all their grief

But these refugees among us all

Are yearning for relief.

 

There are refugees among us,

They don’t carry flags or signs

They are standing right beside us

In the market checkout lines.

 

And the wars that they’ve been fighting

Will not be televised

But the story of their need for love

Is written in their eyes.

 

This is a call to arms to reach out and to hold

The evacuees from the dark

This is a call to arms to lead anguished souls

To safe harbors of the heart.

 

Can you see through their disguises?

Can you hear what words won’t tell?

Some are losing faith in heaven

‘Cause their life’s a living hell.

 

Is there anyone to help those

Who have nowhere else to flee,

For the only arms protecting them

Belong to you and me.

 

This is a call to arms to reach out and to hold

The evacuees from the dark

This is a call to arms to lead anguished souls

To safe harbors of the heart

Can you feel the pleas of the refugees

For safe harbors of the heart?

 

—Michael McLean

In order to be helped, one needs (1) to know he has a problem, and (2) to want help for it.  One cannot be helped who does not want to be.  That said, we all know someone whose heart needs a safe harbor we can provide.  Though his loss is a tragedy for his friends, his fans, and his family, Robin Williams has, and will, find his safe harbor elsewhere.  But let's do the best we can for those who are still here.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Kenngo1969

[Kenngo1969]

We never really know the demons that plague others. It's been a little over two years since I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. I've reconciled that it will kill me someday, but I see no reason to hurry along the process.

Would that I could play a more active part in helping you fight your battle, but Godspeed, my brother.  You have my prayers and best wishes.

[Guest]

This hits so close to home I can't stop crying.

http://time.com/3111911/robin-williams-dead-parkinsons/

When I worked for the City of Atlanta, I had an opportunity to be his home...not sure if he still has it. Edited August 15, 2014 by Pa Pa

[Ahab]

We never really know the demons that plague others. It's been a little over two years since I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. I've reconciled that it will kill me someday, but I see no reason to hurry along the process.

That's still no excuse for being wrong, though.

Hang in there, bro. You'll only get to die once and then you won't have any more problems with your health.

[Storm Rider]

I think very few seek to know or are capable of identifying those in pain around them.  We too often do not only listen to what people say rather than taking the extra time to really observe them and see what they do.  In so doing we remain ignorant of those in distress in our daily lives.  

 

I think I can understand to some degree the pain that one goes through that causes them to contemplate all solutions that will just stop the pain.  It is sad to me that we really only take note of these problems when someone famous puts it in front of our noses.  

 

My nephew of 30 years just passed away on Wednesday evening without any awareness of the degree of his pain by the rest of us.  Since the passing of his mother from brain cancer fourteen months ago this sensitive young man was never quite capable of picking up the pieces.  We are not exactly sure if this was a conscious choice or just an error in judgment.  Regardless, he is gone.  

 

Here is what I know; we are surrounded by those in pain.  It is not always the ones that you think are the weakest among us that are suffering from the most pain.  Pain comes in all kinds of forms and the source of the pain is not nearly important to us than the fact that we allow each person to know that we are there for them.  Take the time to invite those of concern for a ride; talk to them; listen to them.  More than anything don't listen to their words too closely, but listen with your heart and with the Spirit.  

[thesometimesaint]

Would that I could play a more active part in helping you fight your battle, but Godspeed, my brother.  You have my prayers and best wishes.

 

It helps just knowing that.

[thesometimesaint]

That's still no excuse for being wrong, though.

Hang in there, bro. You'll only get to die once and then you won't have any more problems with your health.

 

Knowing that helps a lot.

[thesometimesaint]

[Tacenda]

Bravo TSS!  I love the video, I think if shared often enough it'll do some good!  I will share it on FB!  I don't think this will cause copycat suicides but the opposite! 

 

BTW, I hope you know you're well thought of in cyberspace and pray your illness will one day get a cure! 

[ERayR]

We never really know the demons that plague others. It's been a little over two years since I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. I've reconciled that it will kill me someday, but I see no reason to hurry along the process.

 

I too was told I had it about two years ago.

[Tacenda]

I too was told I had it about two years ago.

You too?  What's up with this insidious disease?  I hope some cures come around soon for many of us, if indeed I get the dreaded Alzheimer's!  Sorry to hear this ERayR!  I remember having some hope with stem cell research and even voted for Al Gore because he promised something would be done, and Michael J. Fox was backing him.  But boy did I get heck for voting that way from some in laws! 

[thesometimesaint]

I too was told I had it about two years ago.

 

I am so sorry.

[thesometimesaint]

You too?  What's up with this insidious disease?  I hope some cures come around soon for many of us, if indeed I get the dreaded Alzheimer's!  Sorry to hear this ERayR!  I remember having some hope with stem cell research and even voted for Al Gore because he promised something would be done, and Michael J. Fox was backing him.  But boy did I get heck for voting that way from some in laws! 

 

It is being worked on. As of yet there is no known cause. No known test.  No cure. It is just a series of 4 symptoms. If you have all four you definitely have it, but you can still have it with just 1 of the symptoms. With family events I find it is best to just be polite and noncommittal about my politics. I'm more conservative than they are. 

Edited August 15, 2014 by thesometimesaint

[Calm]

The feelings for suicide exist all the time in everyone I believe (life is too hard, everyone would be better wothout me, how can things get better...it has gone too far, the hole is too deep). What happens is that the counter voices that usually tell us that is a silly, irrational, nonproductive response go silent for some reason and we are left without the ability to talk ourselves out of it. It was as if my skin had been removed and everything I encountered was on the one hand agony (thus the need for dim lights and sounds, though some may try to drown life out and numb oneself with overwhelmimg sounds) and yet I was also so overwhelmed I was completely numb at the same time.

When I experienced it, I had one thought that kept me from moving forward from thinking constantly about how to do it to trying to do something about it and that was the knowledge my two year old son in the next room would be the one to find me and I couldn't ruin his life in that way. No matter how worthless I was as a mother, I was aware enough that would scar him more than anything else.

For those who don't have that level of need of someone else to save from the pain one is going through or who have gone even further so they can't make that connection of what their action will do to others, even the idea of nothiness is so much better than the hell one is going through.

I don't compare my own experience to those who struggle with it for years and slowly lose ground or then are hit with something so hard they completely lose their balance and feel they are drowning and are so tired of the struggle. My suicide experience was a result of a drug side effect that lasted for three days, though I didn't know it at the time (thankfully I do learn and when drugs have caused the same reaction I've acted on them before it gets as bad as it did, including letting someone know what is going on to keep an eye on me in case hospitalisation is required...never has been as I am very cautious with taking new drugs now and start with smallest doses.

I've had other deep, long lasting depressions where if someone had come up to me and said shall I blow your brains out, I would have answered "yes, please do" but not where I was trying to calculate the chances of success to ensure no missteps. That experience is extremely different from being down because of dissapointment, frustration, even grief and should never be confused with those. I wish we had another name for it so those who have experienced depression due to trauma in their life, who haven't moved into chronic depression think they understand what someone experiencing chronic or clinical depression is going through and can offer hope by saying they got through it when the reality is that it will often make things worse, especially if accompanied by the words "just grit your teeth" or "go out and serve someone else, you'll find yourself by losing yourself in service".

Would you tell someone with a broken leg to go walk it off?

Edited August 15, 2014 by calmoriah

[Calm]

You too? What's up with this insidious disease?

Who Has Parkinson's?

As many as one million Americans live with Parkinson's disease, which is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig's disease.

Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, and this number does not reflect the thousands of cases that go undetected.

An estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease.

Incidence of Parkinson’s increases with age, but an estimated four percent of people with PD are diagnosed before the age of 50.

Men are one and a half times more likely to have Parkinson's than women.

http://www.pdf.org/en/parkinson_statistics

PREVALENCE

An estimated 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease in 2014, including approximately 200,000 individuals younger than age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer's.

Almost two-thirds of American seniors living with Alzheimer's are women. Of the 5 million people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's in the United States, 3.2 million are women and 1.8 million are men.

The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias will escalate rapidly in coming years as the baby boom generation ages. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's disease may nearly triple, from 5 million to as many as 16 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow or stop the disease.

http://m.alz.org/facts-and-figures.asp

Edited August 15, 2014 by calmoriah

[Kenngo1969]

It helps just knowing that.

I'll settle for one of these, thanks:   (But, you're welcome. )

 

On the other hand, if you know anybody who's eligible, reasonably good-looking (and my take on that is apt to be different than the average take: I have a more liberal definition of good-looking than most ), and between the ages of 35-45, I'll take one of those from her ...

 

P.S.: I haven't done any research on the matter, but it would seem sensible to me to say that other trauma or pathology might make one more susceptible (or might predispose one) to Parkinson's.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Kenngo1969

[Tacenda]

Who Has Parkinson's?

As many as one million Americans live with Parkinson's disease, which is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig's disease.

Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, and this number does not reflect the thousands of cases that go undetected.

An estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease.

Incidence of Parkinson’s increases with age, but an estimated four percent of people with PD are diagnosed before the age of 50.

Men are one and a half times more likely to have Parkinson's than women.

http://www.pdf.org/en/parkinson_statistics

PREVALENCE

An estimated 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease in 2014, including approximately 200,000 individuals younger than age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer's.

Almost two-thirds of American seniors living with Alzheimer's are women. Of the 5 million people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's in the United States, 3.2 million are women and 1.8 million are men.

The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias will escalate rapidly in coming years as the baby boom generation ages. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's disease may nearly triple, from 5 million to as many as 16 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent, slow or stop the disease.

http://m.alz.org/facts-and-figures.asp

Along with TSS, apparently ERayR does.  I guess it was diagnosed 2 years ago.  I think both diseases have a gradual occurrence.  I wanted to go in for a blood test to determine if I had Alzheimer's and called my doctor, I thought I had heard there is a test now.  But it's in its infancy and was told that not a lot of doctors have it yet.  I'm looking into long term health care insurance right now.  This is what my dad did for himself and my mom, luckily she was coherent enough at the time for the tests the insurance had her go through, maybe they wouldn't have insured her. 

 

And thanks for the links!  It seems like these diseases are getting worse.  I hope soon for a cure, just in time for people like TSS, ERayR and hopefully Michael J. Fox, oh, and me! 

Edited August 15, 2014 by Tacenda

[Guest]

When I worked for the City of Atlanta, I had an opportunity to be his home...not sure if he still has it.

So sorry that was Elton John's home. I can't believe I made that error?

[Stargazer]

My best friends mom had Parkinson and that is the only way I have known her. this is a tragedy. That is all I can say about it. He didn't need to go kill him self. Lots of people live through the same types of things that troubled Robin.  I am just sad that he did it.

 

I think the Parkinsons might have just been the icing on the cake.  I have known people with bad chronic depression who have killed themselves, apparently because they felt they could not endure it any longer.  I can imagine getting to that point, I just hope I do not ever find myself there.

 

A member of our ward who has since moved away had Parkinsons, and he told me once that it was annoying and looked funny, but inasmuch as it didn't hurt, he didn't feel so bad about it.  Though perhaps he was sugar-coating it for me, he seemed to be quite a happy camper in general.

Edited August 16, 2014 by Stargazer