I called my mother to comment on it with her, and how saddened I was that such a seemingly wonderful man would be lost to us all...and I reflected to her about their being the same age, and how I wasn't ready to lose her.
My mom died alone in her home approximately 1 week after Robin Williams. Although my mom wasn't special to the entire world as this man was, she was a large portion of my world. I wish I had taken more time to show her...perhaps I could have prevented her death. Although she didn't take her own life, I believe the isolation she was putting herself in wasn't healthy. Although she would always tell me "I'm fine" on the phone long distance, and assure me she was taking her medication and wasn't having any issues, she effectively kept some health issues a secret from me. Once I needled some information out of her, I told her I wanted to make plans to move her in with me next summer when I could sell my house for a larger one, so she could still feel "independent" in a mother-in-law type suite. Had I actively recognized signals of depression, or acted faster, I might have made a difference, and still have my mom. I struggle with that.
I've been told lately during the grieving process that parents OFTEN pretend that everything is "fine" in an effort to avoid being a burden on their children. Don't let your loved ones brush you off. If you feel like something is "going on" with a loved one, go with your instincts. Don't let them lock themselves away. Maybe my mom's death can prevent someone else's.
When my doctor realized that one of my hips was "higher" than the other, she asked me if I carried my book bag with both straps. I said no, being a one-strapper, and she instructed me to start carrying it on the OTHER shoulder alone, and made follow-up appointments. It evened things out, at which point she insisted that I be a two-strapper going forward.
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/04/27/on-war-joe-rosenthal-and-iwo-jima/1743/
I called my mother to comment on it with her, and how saddened I was that such a seemingly wonderful man would be lost to us all...and I reflected to her about their being the same age, and how I wasn't ready to lose her.
My mom died alone in her home approximately 1 week after Robin Williams. Although my mom wasn't special to the entire world as this man was, she was a large portion of my world. I wish I had taken more time to show her...perhaps I could have prevented her death. Although she didn't take her own life, I believe the isolation she was putting herself in wasn't healthy. Although she would always tell me "I'm fine" on the phone long distance, and assure me she was taking her medication and wasn't having any issues, she effectively kept some health issues a secret from me. Once I needled some information out of her, I told her I wanted to make plans to move her in with me next summer when I could sell my house for a larger one, so she could still feel "independent" in a mother-in-law type suite. Had I actively recognized signals of depression, or acted faster, I might have made a difference, and still have my mom. I struggle with that.
I've been told lately during the grieving process that parents OFTEN pretend that everything is "fine" in an effort to avoid being a burden on their children. Don't let your loved ones brush you off. If you feel like something is "going on" with a loved one, go with your instincts. Don't let them lock themselves away. Maybe my mom's death can prevent someone else's.
Robin Williams
My Sweet Mom <3
1951-2014