Dear social media readers, friends, and family, During my experience in health care, some of the most tragic cases often occur with little or no warning. The disease can appear suddenly and dramatically- as in the case of a heart attack. Plaque that has been building for years suddenly ruptures, and the body attempts to repair the damage the best it can but damages the heart in the process. Sometimes there were warning signs that were ignored; sometimes people just didn’t have the knowledge to recognize the warning signs; sometimes warning signs just didn’t occur. Regardless, if the problem is caught early and action is taken quickly, the heart may be spared- although often still scarred. Sadly, there are times the heart attack is too severe and no matter what we do it cannot recover. If you’ll please humor my familiar metaphor, when I read Sarah Grady’s blog, I felt like I was experiencing an emotional heart attack. Apparently, there was a relational “plaque” that grew over the years without my knowledge. I admit there were occasional signs, but never anything I thought was severe enough to warrant intervention. For the record, I respect and admire Sarah’s desire to help other mothers with post-partum depression by sharing her story on her blog. I also realize she is entitled to her own opinions and there is nothing I can do about that. However, I will politely ask if you choose to read it that you please consider her recollections of family events show extreme bias. While it is particularly hurtful to see my daughter’s birth made into a mockery and ridiculed on a public forum, I cannot alter Sarah’s perspective of the event, or anything else for that matter whether it involves gifts given or vacations taken. Also, please know I have been touched by everyone who has reached out to me to reassure me they do not share nor appreciate her biased perspective either; I truly appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. I enjoy sharing on facebook and following others on facebook. I have 5 years of photos and videos on this account in addition to other things, so I will not be deactivating it permanently. However, for the sake of my immediate family’s privacy and security, I will be sharing photos and videos on another account with less exposure to Greg and Sarah and their friends/networks for now. At this time, Sarah has informed me she has published 12/25 chapters and she offers no apologies for her thoughts, words, or actions. It is my personal opinion that just because social media allows us to share our thoughts about everything doesn’t mean that we should, especially when it could be hurtful to others. Likewise, I don’t believe you should publish anything identifying others without their consent, whether the content is positive or negative. Please be kind.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 15:22:36 +0000