Others over the past few days (including Carey, Amy, LeeAnn, George) have written about the Casey Johnson tragedy much more eloquently than I'm about too, but here are my thoughts on this very sad subject.
I feel sad for Casey Johnson and her entire family.
I keep thinking about her parents and her two sisters, especially her two sisters.
They watched someone they loved deal with a disease 24X7,365 days a year, and no matter how much money the family had, Casey could never take a break from diabetes -It was with her always -she was just like us as far as diabetes was concerned.
They also watched that same person they loved deal with the disease of addiction and emotional struggles over the years that according to reports, she couldn’t get a hold of.
Do I know what caused Casey’s death? No I don’t, I’m a PWD blogger, not a medical examiner.
Do I think it was diabetes related? I’m not sure - I’m not privy to her medical records and I'm not an Endocrinologist.
Do I think the disease of addiction played a part? Yes, I do.
I do know that when someone has addiction & emotional issues AND is a PWD, very sad things can happen. You all know what happened to my own sister - no need to rehash.
I’ll admit, I’ve watched the shows like ET & EXTRA interview her socialite friends, and many deny that she suffered from addiction. Instead,they blame her diabetes. I guess for them it’s easier to believe that the very same behavior they participated in with her daily may have played a part in her death. It's much easier to point a finger at a disease they DON'T have.
Do I blame Johnson? No I don’t, and here’s why. Because unless you’ve walked a mile in a PWD's shoes, or a person who suffers from emotional or addiction issues shoes- you have no ideal how difficult life can become when the diseases combine and join forces- IT'S LETHAL.
Addiction and emotional issues, like diabetes are based on genetics- not character flaws. Though society seems to forget that fact when discussing said diseases.
All require compassion, diligence, LEARNED COPING MECHANISMS/LIFE SKILLS, and a hell of a lot work.
People who suffer from these diseases may have issues related to their disease - and should not be judged.
Casey’s parents, sisters, daughter, and extended family are now left to grieve and wonder.
The wonder why, they wonder what was and they wonder what could have been.
And the whole thing is incredibly sad, any way you look at it.
I’m not going to pass judgement on Casey or her family,but I will send them lots of prayers and compassion because they're hearts are broken and will never be the same.
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6 comments:
This is very sad :( And it does hit close to home whether diabetes caused her death or not ... she still had it.
Very well said, Kelly. Yes, tragically sad. I wonder if this might motivate anyone to put more money or programs in place to address the emotional/mental aspects associated with diabetes. Know Lee Ann has written about this and believes wholeheartedly in this issue, and it seems even more apparent when more of these sad examples come to the world's attention.
Love, love, love this post!
It hits the nail on the head. PWD aren't just dealing with diabetes! We're dealing with all the emotions that come along with it.
If only we could get the medical community to see that we don't only need doctors to look at our numbers, charts, and labs, but we need them to monitor our emotional wellbeing too - and that's with any disease.
Let's just hope and pray for her family and hope and pray that this sheds some light on the importance of getting help when you have depression/emotional problems.
Thanks for this post. It helped open my eyes quite a bit, giving me a little more insight on what my 17 year old brother goes through everyday.
And you are right, no matter what, it's incredibly sad.
Kelly-
Excellent post. Casey's story is very sad. I'm sending prayers for her family. Hoepefully, if there is a PWD going through what she has "addiction" plus diabetes. I hope her story saves another PWD.
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