Comments on: Casey Johnson: The Fear in All of Us http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html A gold mine of straight talk and encouragement for people living with diabetes Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:28:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Grand Rounds Volume 6, Number 16 : The Covert Rationing Blog http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-469304 Grand Rounds Volume 6, Number 16 : The Covert Rationing Blog Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:57:40 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-469304 [...] Amy Tenderich, who writes the excellent Diabetes Mine blog, speculates on the recent sudden death of Casey Johnson, the 30-year-old J&J heiress with type I diabetes. Ms. Johnson is said to have spent the last several months of her life in “suicidal drug haze,” and it would be easy to write the sad event off as being completely unrelated to diabetes. But Ms. Tenderich points out that people with type I diabetes are under great stress from a young age, and far more than most people, need to pay close attention to their health habits, and they need to do it each and every day. Furthermore, they are expected to live these medically perfect lives even through the turbulent years of young adulthood, a time when when most of us can fall off the wagon for a while and still recover and lead productive lives. The diabetics who get through this difficult period are among the strongest people DrRich knows. But Ms. Tenderich reminds us that not all get through it, and that Ms. Johnson’s diabetes may well have played a part in the sad trajectory of her short life. [...] [...] Amy Tenderich, who writes the excellent Diabetes Mine blog, speculates on the recent sudden death of Casey Johnson, the 30-year-old J&J heiress with type I diabetes. Ms. Johnson is said to have spent the last several months of her life in “suicidal drug haze,” and it would be easy to write the sad event off as being completely unrelated to diabetes. But Ms. Tenderich points out that people with type I diabetes are under great stress from a young age, and far more than most people, need to pay close attention to their health habits, and they need to do it each and every day. Furthermore, they are expected to live these medically perfect lives even through the turbulent years of young adulthood, a time when when most of us can fall off the wagon for a while and still recover and lead productive lives. The diabetics who get through this difficult period are among the strongest people DrRich knows. But Ms. Tenderich reminds us that not all get through it, and that Ms. Johnson’s diabetes may well have played a part in the sad trajectory of her short life. [...]

]]> By: Nancy http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-457298 Nancy Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:07:17 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-457298 I have had 40 years of an experience with my mother as a diabetic & am grateful that with the many reactions & hospitalizations she has had by God's grace she is still with us. Though I never met Casey, through various interviews, she struck me as a very sensitive soul. No one is perfect. When bad choices result in devestating circumstances, I am relieved that God's great mercy can be shown. As a Roman Catholic, I am taught that to pray the rosary for the deceased & to have masses held in their name helps the repose of their soul. Hence, a mass will be held in Casey's name at St. Clare Parish in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 10, 2010 at 9:00 am. Perhaps those reading this post may say a prayer for Casey's soul at that time. Thank you. God continue to Bless & watch over our diabetic relatives. I have had 40 years of an experience with my mother as a diabetic & am grateful that with the many reactions & hospitalizations she has had by God’s grace she is still with us.

Though I never met Casey, through various interviews, she struck me as a very sensitive soul. No one is perfect. When bad choices result in
devestating circumstances, I am relieved that God’s great mercy can be shown.

As a Roman Catholic, I am taught that to pray the rosary for the deceased & to have masses held in their name helps the repose of their soul. Hence, a mass will be held in Casey’s name at St. Clare Parish in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 10, 2010 at 9:00 am. Perhaps those reading this post may say a prayer for Casey’s soul at that time. Thank you.

God continue to Bless & watch over our diabetic relatives.

]]> By: Sarah http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-456697 Sarah Thu, 14 Jan 2010 04:47:00 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-456697 The idiot "nurse" (get a real education please) on here is a shining example of why most people in healthcare are not informed enough to work with Type 1 diabetics. Even those healthcare workers themselves with Type 1 diabetes have been brainwashed by perpetual "blame the diabetic" mentality. Sick. Many, many, many, infants, children, teens, and adults have died from Type 1 diabetes despite their best management and efforts. And most of these cases do not involve mismanagement, drugs, or alcohol. Although I am not surprised by those who do turn to drugs to cope with an incurable and uncontrollable disease in which you are expected to constantly be a pancreas. There is little compassion or support, just blame, as we can see here. You are a failure if you cannot be a perfect Pollyanna diabetic. You can't expect a Type 1 diabetic who has been revived 30 times to not be affected by his condition. Many of us are unstable despite constant vigilance and management. If Type 1 diabetes was an easy disease to control, none of us would be here on this website. Anyone who disputes this is living in denial, and THEY have the real problem. People like this are a hindrance to our plight for our need for a cure and should be removed from the diabetes community. The idiot “nurse” (get a real education please) on here is a shining example of why most people in healthcare are not informed enough to work with Type 1 diabetics. Even those healthcare workers themselves with Type 1 diabetes have been brainwashed by perpetual “blame the diabetic” mentality. Sick. Many, many, many, infants, children, teens, and adults have died from Type 1 diabetes despite their best management and efforts. And most of these cases do not involve mismanagement, drugs, or alcohol. Although I am not surprised by those who do turn to drugs to cope with an incurable and uncontrollable disease in which you are expected to constantly be a pancreas. There is little compassion or support, just blame, as we can see here. You are a failure if you cannot be a perfect Pollyanna diabetic. You can’t expect a Type 1 diabetic who has been revived 30 times to not be affected by his condition. Many of us are unstable despite constant vigilance and management. If Type 1 diabetes was an easy disease to control, none of us would be here on this website. Anyone who disputes this is living in denial, and THEY have the real problem. People like this are a hindrance to our plight for our need for a cure and should be removed from the diabetes community.

]]> By: Pam http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-456684 Pam Thu, 14 Jan 2010 04:20:25 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-456684 Casey Johnson's death is a great tragedy as is any young person. The weekend after her death was announced our 12 year old son suffered DKA. It was our first experience with this in 7.5 years since diagnoses. It was the most terrifying experience even though we caught it relatively early. We were thanked by the E.R. doctors for this actually. Exactly 1 year before our son was diagnosed one of our high school friends who had T1 was found dead in his bed, at his funeral his mother said to us we always knew he would not have a long life having diabetes. When our son was diagnosed those words haunted me, until I educated myself and learned that he could have as full of a life as anyone. Diabetes is never going to stop him, but as a parent with a child diagnosed I was up front with everything that could happen to him even at the age of 5 when he was diagnosed. We might not ever know if diabetes was involved in the death of Casey Johnson, but I will admit it put me on edge and I used it as a reminder for my son the possibility of what can happen. Casey Johnson’s death is a great tragedy as is any young person. The weekend after her death was announced our 12 year old son suffered DKA. It was our first experience with this in 7.5 years since diagnoses. It was the most terrifying experience even though we caught it relatively early. We were thanked by the E.R. doctors for this actually. Exactly 1 year before our son was diagnosed one of our high school friends who had T1 was found dead in his bed, at his funeral his mother said to us we always knew he would not have a long life having diabetes. When our son was diagnosed those words haunted me, until I educated myself and learned that he could have as full of a life as anyone. Diabetes is never going to stop him, but as a parent with a child diagnosed I was up front with everything that could happen to him even at the age of 5 when he was diagnosed. We might not ever know if diabetes was involved in the death of Casey Johnson, but I will admit it put me on edge and I used it as a reminder for my son the possibility of what can happen.

]]> By: Jeanette http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-454683 Jeanette Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:57:46 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-454683 FWIW, I have a history of depression throughout my 17 years with diabetes. There's plenty of blame and guilt tied to diabetes, and mental health conditions, and substance abuse.. If Casey Johnson was depressed.. Yikes. Triple-freakin-whammy. FWIW, I have a history of depression throughout my 17 years with diabetes.

There’s plenty of blame and guilt tied to diabetes, and mental health conditions, and substance abuse..

If Casey Johnson was depressed.. Yikes. Triple-freakin-whammy.

]]> By: Jeanette http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-454654 Jeanette Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:14:01 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-454654 Reinforcement that you just cannot underestimate diabetes. Ever. Reinforcement that you just cannot underestimate diabetes.

Ever.

]]> By: Marco Bianchi http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-453292 Marco Bianchi Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:43:36 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-453292 @ Lee Ann I think you are saying the same thing but in another way. If one has serious mental health issues, all aspects of ones life is undone. Be it substance abuse (not use), relationships, and if one is diabetic as well, so will be it's management. Therefore, diabetes is not the issue. I get irritated when one lumps all of their life problems upon diabetes, in figuring that if only diabetes is well maintain their life would be perfect. That is crock! If one has problems, please get help! but i am adamant on this, don't blame the diabetes. This has nothing to do with diabetes, all has to do with the person. @ Lee Ann
I think you are saying the same thing but in another way. If one has serious mental health issues, all aspects of ones life is undone. Be it substance abuse (not use), relationships, and if one is diabetic as well, so will be it’s management. Therefore, diabetes is not the issue. I get irritated when one lumps all of their life problems upon diabetes, in figuring that if only diabetes is well maintain their life would be perfect. That is crock! If one has problems, please get help! but i am adamant on this, don’t blame the diabetes. This has nothing to do with diabetes, all has to do with the person.

]]> By: Lee Ann Thill http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-453247 Lee Ann Thill Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:48:27 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-453247 Marco, blaming the person is exactly what I argued against yesterday. Blaming a person with obviously serious mental health and substance abuse problems doesn't make sense and it's not compassionate. I think one of the real failures is the diabetes care delivery system with negligible mental health intervention services, and from all accounts and personal experience, the absence of psychosocial PREventative services. (Today's post: http://www.thebuttercompartment.com/?p=4815 ) Those among us who can't cope shouldn't be held solely responsible for having difficulties managing this unrelenting disease. It's important to recognize that the very nature of diabetes management at present is not easily conducive to success, and blaming individual who struggle is only going to perpetuate that. Marco, blaming the person is exactly what I argued against yesterday. Blaming a person with obviously serious mental health and substance abuse problems doesn’t make sense and it’s not compassionate. I think one of the real failures is the diabetes care delivery system with negligible mental health intervention services, and from all accounts and personal experience, the absence of psychosocial PREventative services. (Today’s post: http://www.thebuttercompartment.com/?p=4815 )

Those among us who can’t cope shouldn’t be held solely responsible for having difficulties managing this unrelenting disease. It’s important to recognize that the very nature of diabetes management at present is not easily conducive to success, and blaming individual who struggle is only going to perpetuate that.

]]> By: Beth http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-453245 Beth Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:47:10 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-453245 Amy, we seem to be in the minority here, but I admit that I had the same exact reaction to the news that you had. (I'm the "Beth" who commented on Casey's death after your JNJ post a few days ago.) For me, it wasn't just Casey's death, but there were 2 other untimely deaths of T1 diabetics that I had heard about this year. One was a 27-year old patent attorney who worked in the same place as I do (it's a big place). The news of the co-worker's death was sent around our institution, and all it said was that his wife found him dead in bed and that he had T1 diabetes. I never heard anything else about it. Then there was someone else (from my city I think?) who I had read about. Again, no details. And, finally, with this latest news, it just really got to me. I agree with the other postings as well, that Casey's sad death was probably due to problems with substance abuse, but most likely, we will never find out what really happened. Everytime I wake up in the night drenched in sweat with a very low BG, and I feel so groggy that I can hardly drag myself to the edge of my bed to get my meter and open my nightstand drawer for tootsie rolls, I do wonder how common it is for people with T1D to die in bed. I know I run the risk of getting a barage of "if you take care of yourself you will not die from T1D" comments, but for some of us, no matter how hard we work at it and how good we are, our sugar fluctuates wildly and unexpectedly. Were these people on pumps? Have you ever given yourself insulin while dreaming that you were eating a meal (I have, in fact, done this)? I don't want to scare people or parents or be irrational, but it is scary and untimely deaths like this one remind us of that. It happens. I think that for those of us living with T1D, having more detailed information about how and why things like this happen could help us prevent similar tragedies, but, this type of information is hard to find. Amy, we seem to be in the minority here, but I admit that I had the same exact reaction to the news that you had. (I’m the “Beth” who commented on Casey’s death after your JNJ post a few days ago.) For me, it wasn’t just Casey’s death, but there were 2 other untimely deaths of T1 diabetics that I had heard about this year. One was a 27-year old patent attorney who worked in the same place as I do (it’s a big place). The news of the co-worker’s death was sent around our institution, and all it said was that his wife found him dead in bed and that he had T1 diabetes. I never heard anything else about it. Then there was someone else (from my city I think?) who I had read about. Again, no details. And, finally, with this latest news, it just really got to me. I agree with the other postings as well, that Casey’s sad death was probably due to problems with substance abuse, but most likely, we will never find out what really happened. Everytime I wake up in the night drenched in sweat with a very low BG, and I feel so groggy that I can hardly drag myself to the edge of my bed to get my meter and open my nightstand drawer for tootsie rolls, I do wonder how common it is for people with T1D to die in bed. I know I run the risk of getting a barage of “if you take care of yourself you will not die from T1D” comments, but for some of us, no matter how hard we work at it and how good we are, our sugar fluctuates wildly and unexpectedly. Were these people on pumps? Have you ever given yourself insulin while dreaming that you were eating a meal (I have, in fact, done this)? I don’t want to scare people or parents or be irrational, but it is scary and untimely deaths like this one remind us of that. It happens. I think that for those of us living with T1D, having more detailed information about how and why things like this happen could help us prevent similar tragedies, but, this type of information is hard to find.

]]> By: Michelle http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/01/casey-johnson-the-fear-in-all-of-us.html/comment-page-1#comment-452928 Michelle Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:37:54 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=12775#comment-452928 Thank you, Amy. You touched a nerve. Nobody is perfect and all it takes with T1 is a little slip, a glance the other way at a crucial time. I appeciate the upbeat folks here who don't believe that, but you touched a nerve in me. I too, mourn for Casey Johnson and her short life. Thank you, Amy. You touched a nerve. Nobody is perfect and all it takes with T1 is a little slip, a glance the other way at a crucial time. I appeciate the upbeat folks here who don’t believe that, but you touched a nerve in me. I too, mourn for Casey Johnson and her short life.

]]>