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best they could. Betsy’s parents had carefully told her to not bother
Lori’s parents because they were very, very sad right now.
The day after the accident, Betsy’s parents realized that she wasn’t
in the house, so they went outside and called for her. Soon, she came
out of Lori’s house. Betsy’s parents were irritated that she had gone to
Lori’s house, although both girls were permitted to go into each other’s
house at any time. They asked, “What were you doing at Lori’s
house?” “I was helping Lori’s Mom,” Betsy said. “How could you
possibly help her,” they demanded. “I climbed into her lap and cried
with her,” said Betsy…
Home health care and support groups may be especially helpful
during a time of deteriorating health and grief. For home care, I
recommend Deborah Duda's (1987) Coming Home: A Guide to Dying
at Home with Dignity. For hospice care of adults, write The National
Hospice Organization, 1901 N. Moore St., Suite 901, Arlington, VA or
locate services in your area. For hospice care of children, write
Children's Hospice International, 700 Princess St., Alexander, VA
22314 or call 1-703-684-0330. For self-help groups dealing with a loss
of a child, write The Compassionate Friends, P.O. Box 3696, Oak
Brook, IL 60522-3696 or phone 708-990-0010. For groups dealing
with the loss of a spouse, write THEOS, 1301 Clark Building, 717
Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3510 or call 412-571-7779.
Suicide
Are you having thoughts of suicide right now?
Are you feeling really down? Do things seem hopeless? Have you
thought of killing yourself as a way out? Do thoughts of suicide keep
bearing on your mind? Have you thought of a specific suicide plan?
Have you started to find some means of carrying out the plan? Have
you tried to kill yourself before?
If you are not suicidal now, feel free to skip down a page to “A
powerful argument against suicide.”
If you are answering some of these questions “yes,” your situation
could be serious and I want to get one main message across to you:
Please get help with your problems. Why is that my immediate goal?
First, because some people kill themselves impulsively, taking only a
few minutes between having the idea and acting on it. Please don’t be
one of those people. Second, your answers already indicate difficult
personal/emotional problems. It will probably take time and new
