Tuesday, May 14, 2013

In Shock

I just want to interrupt telling you about Sardinia to reflect on some terrible news I had yesterday.

Three weeks ago, the 16yr old son of one of my friends was taken to the emergency department of our local hospital complaining of a pain in his lungs and feeling tired. He died at the weekend of a cancer that ripped through his body destroying all his vital organs, that rendered him unrecognisable at the end, and that chemotherapy had no effect on at all. Three weeks.

The doctors originally thought it was some sort of chest infection and put him on anti-biotics which of course did nothing. By the time they knew what it was it was too late, although it was probably too late anyway from the start. This sporty young man with his whole life ahead of him was suddenly and violently struck down, and his totally unexpected death has left his mother,younger brother and rest of the family in shock.

It's left all who know the family in shock too. I know there's no point asking the hows or whys. There are no reasons, no answers, but still, why him? A good lad from a nice family, not a multi-recidivist criminal who beats up old ladies. They never seem to be struck down in their prime unless it's by the Kalashnikov of a rival criminal and no one is terribly surprised.

I looked at my 16yr old son last night, as you do, and thought useless thoughts about how it could happen to anyone; it could happen to him, and there's absolutely nothing I can do to protect him or save him from such a vicious attack. The smallest microscopic entities on the planet are the ones that wreak the most destruction and you can go from being a happy family of three to a deeply traumatised family minus one in the space of three weeks.

There are no words to describe what they must be going through. I can't imagine it; all I can do is hope that they pull through in time, and that I never have to experience such terrible misfortune.

Rest In Peace young man.

19 comments:

  1. I am so sorry. The death of a young person is a tragedy. I find it hard to make sense of such events. Awful. Poor family.

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    1. There is no sense to it, is there? I just feel 'there but for the grace of God go I' which is scary and unsettling.

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  2. Oh that's dreadful. Awful for them, and so unsettling for everyone.

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  3. It's so sad and shocking at that age especially when it's so quick. Fifty years on I still remember a classmate of 16 who died 3 weeks after diagnosis with leukaemia. No wonder you feel so deeply affected by it.

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    1. Yes, I feel very affected by his death. So virulent, so fast and so deadly. Terrible.

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  4. How shocking, what a terrible waste of such a young life. And, unfortunately, I know how you're feeling. Three weeks ago a very good friend of my son's, a beautiful, intelligent girl of 19, dropped down dead with a heart attack. I didn't know the girl but it affected me alot so it must have been awful - and still is - for my son.

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    1. Oh how terrible! It's so sad when the young are struck down like this. It reminds us too of just how fragile life actually is.

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  5. That's horrendous and, hearing such sad stories, we can't help but put ourselves in the shoes of that poor family, especially if you have kids of a similar age. So unjust.

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  6. Sending hugs your way, if I may. Like Perpetua, I have early memories of the injustice of this terrible illness. A primary school friend died of leukemia when I was nine, and it was the first time I realised how unfair it was. My only real fear is to outlive my children.

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    1. You may, MM, and thank you. :)
      Yes, it's the injustice of it, and the randomness that gets me too.

      I have the same fear, always present, especially on the motorbike.

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  7. That's just so bizarre. A healthy, vibrant child, here one day, gone the next. So unnecessary.

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    1. Yes, isn't it terrible. Every parent's worst nightmare.

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  8. I am sorry for that young boy and hi family.

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  9. Oh Sarah, I've just spotted this post now. That's devastating news. Makes you realise how helpless we all are: we can do so much to protect our children and then something like this can occur out of the blue. So unfair.

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    1. So unfair, so random, so scary. I'm going to the funeral today. Very sad.

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  10. Oh my heavens this is horrible. What a tragedy. That poor boy's parents. I hope you're son is doing ok. x.

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