Last week in this column, I shared a conversation I had with a friend about male caregiver suicide. It was a discussion of great concern to both of us and, as reflected in your responses - to many of you.  All of the emails that I received were memorable, but none more so than the following:

Gary,

Wondered when the subject of suicide would ever be brought up in the Caregiver Magazine.  It has come full circle for me.
I had planned on taking my life and my husband's a few years ago.  He with his Parkinson's Disease and mine being a Caregiver and being very, very depressed. 

It was Christmas (a few years ago) and I had decided that if no help came to me I would take us out of life.  I was going to disconnect the furnace and have the carbon dioxide come into the house.  It would be quick and there would be no more sickness in this family.

I prayed to God to show me the way.  The day after that Christmas I got a Christmas card from a young man I had been engaged to years and years ago.  I had never forgotten him and always wondered what happened to him.  Long story short.  We were engaged and we both walked away from each other and had not seen or heard from each other in over 45 years.

This simple gesture changed my mind and my life.  I will be eternally grateful to God for giving me an answer to my prayers.  Sometimes you have to be careful what you pray for because you might get it and it isn't what you want.  This prayer was answered for me.
 
Thanks for being the person you are Gary.  You put out information to us that is valuable to our lives.

A long time newsletter reader.

Thank you for sharing this with us. You cannot know how many people you helped with your words.
 
We are at the Boynton Beach Fearless Caregiver today.
Next week in Wisconsin Dells and Owen Wisconsin.  Join us if you are in the area.

 

 

Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com