Ship of Fools: December 30th

Thread: December 30th Board: Erin / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Simon (# 1) on :

I spoke just now with Jason, Erin's brother, who told me what happened on the 30th. I'm posting it here with his permission.

Erin had seemed fine over Christmas. She talked with Jason on Christmas Eve and was with her sister Mandi on Christmas Day, and Jason spoke with her again on the evening of the 28th. "There was no indication she was sick," he said.

On the 29th she went down with flu. Jason later found a text on her cell phone letting her boss know she would be in late that day.

At 8am on the 30th, Erin called a friend from work asking if she could bring her some medicine. The friend lived round the corner and so came straight over and asked if she needed the doctor. She said, no, just that her legs hurt, her bones felt cold and she was generally achy. "I'll call if I need you," she said.

At 10am, she called her friend again, saying she was worse, and asking if she could be driven to the hospital. When the friend arrived, she found her lethargic and disoriented, and blue around her mouth. She immediately called an ambulance, which arrived quickly and took Erin to the hospital, a couple of miles away.

As soon as the doctor in the ER saw her, he knew something was seriously wrong but wasn't sure what was causing it. He called Erin's doctor, and in the 2-3 minutes he was on the call, she stopped breathing. They went into CPR but her heart had stopped and they could not revive her.

Jason arrived at the hospital shortly after, and the doctor cried as he told him the news. He and the nursing staff all knew Erin, as it was the hospital where she worked. "She was not alone, or with strangers," he told me. "She was surrounded by friends and people who knew her when she died."

===

Postscript

After Jason posted in the Styx, a shipmate emailed Erin to say, "If you've died, I want to hear it from you!" Jason said he was very tempted to email back, "How can I when I've gone?" He said Erin would have loved that. "She would have laughed her ass off."

He also told me that when he posted that the funeral service would be "helled" on Friday, it was his little joke on us. "That's how it was between us from when we were kids," he said. "She was always saying to me, 'Hey, jackass!'"

Posted by Viola (# 20) on :

Thanks Simon (and Jason) for sharing all that.

Re the postscript: Jason would fit right in here, and given that I suspect I know whose email he's talking about, I so wish he'd sent that reply!

Posted by TomOfTarsus (# 3053) on :

What a horridly unexpected thing! Thank you Simon and Jason, us poor folk can't help but be curious.

It almost sounds like H1N1, as it is supposedly worse for those that are young to middle aged and with fairly strong immune systems. But , in the end, what does it matter? She's with the Father...

More [Votive]

Tom

Posted by marmot (# 479) on :

Thank you for sharing that, Simon. I'm not sure why we felt the need to know, but we did, and I, for one, am comforted that she was not in protracted pain and was not alone at the time of her passing.

Posted by Rowen (# 1194) on :

I thank you too, for letting us know.

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

Me too. Thanks.

Posted by ToujoursDan (# 10578) on :

Shocking, but I too am glad that she didn't long term pain. Thank you for sharing.

Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on :

quote:
Originally posted by marmot:
Thank you for sharing that, Simon. I'm not sure why we felt the need to know, but we did, and I, for one, am comforted that she was not in protracted pain and was not alone at the time of her passing.

This says it perfectly.

Posted by Zeke (# 3271) on :

I was so shocked to hear of this. Erin was very kind to me and I am so sad. I'm sure she will make a huge impression on Heaven.

Posted by Janine (# 3337) on :

I figure Heaven has been impressed with her all along.

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

Thank you Simon and Jason. It is a comfort to know that Erin had friends nearby when she passed.

So, so sudden. [Tear]

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :

Thank you. [Frown]

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

Thank you.

Posted by Lynn MagdalenCollege (# 10651) on :

Oh good heavens-- Gill H emailed me... I am gobsmacked. Thank you for letting us know what happened, to the degree that we know what actually happened.

[Frown]

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :

Thank you Simon and Jason.

Posted by AristonAstuanax (# 10894) on :

Also many thanks. I'm not sure what else I can say—anything this profound, well, always seems to make anything I say inadequate—but, since that's the best thing I can say, I will.

And goodbye.

Posted by IngoB (# 8700) on :

From healthy to dead in one day from flu? That is really scary. Somehow it is more scary given that I now know Erin was precisely my age... Any official word on the cause of death?

Thanks for that anyhow, it really does good to know.

I'm now hoping that we shall see a picture of Erin. It would be nice to put a human face to the gator avatar...

Posted by Robert Armin (# 182) on :

Thank you for letting us know. It still doesn't make any sense to me though.

Posted by QLib (# 43) on :

A dearly, dearly loved ex-colleague died in a similar way about two and a half years ago, but she was 60 and on immuno-suppressant drugs for rheumatoid arthritis. Still grieving for that. Finding this is so similar - same symptoms, same loving caring people powerless to help, is - I don't know - 'weird' doesn't really cover it. [Tear]

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :

Thank you Simon (and the family for sharing).

Posted by The Weeder (# 11321) on :

I have lost both my sibs in the last few months, completely unexpectedly. I am now grieving for someone I never met IRL, and feel it as a great loss.

Posted by Fuzzipeg (# 10107) on :

Thank you Simon & Jason. Our prayers.

Posted by Matt Black (# 2210) on :

Thanks, chaps. [Votive]

Posted by Malin (# 11769) on :

Thank you. I am glad she was with people she knew. [Votive]

Posted by Ancient Mariner (# 4) on :

Thanks for the info. With Miss Molly we went on a long, long journey. With Erin we were denied even the first few steps.

[Votive]

[ 06. January 2011, 12:08: Message edited by: Ancient Mariner ]

Posted by dj_ordinaire (# 4643) on :

Please thank Jason for sharing with us. Like others, I am glad that our revered Gator wasn't alone, or suffering.

Posted by cor ad cor loquitur (# 11816) on :

Thanks, Simon and Jason.

Posted by Marvin the Martian (# 4360) on :

Thank you both. So sudden. [Votive]

Posted by IntellectByProxy (# 3185) on :

[Frown]

Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :

Like everyone else: thanks to Simon & Jason for letting us know.

[Votive]

for all that have been affected by Erin"s sudden death

Posted by Simon (# 1) on :

quote:
Originally posted by IngoB:
Any official word on the cause of death?

From my conversation with Jason: The doctor on duty said the cause of death was a catastrophic drop in blood pH, which apparently means the heart has to work much harder to maintain blood pressure. In Erin's case that battle was lost and she went into organ failure. The cause of the drop in blood pH was sepsis. I'm no medic, so take this as the notes I made while Jason was talking.

Posted by Nenuphar (# 16057) on :

Thank you Simon and Jason. How appallingly, shockingly, frighteningly sudden. [Votive]

for all.

Posted by Jack the Lass (# 3415) on :

Heartbreaking [Votive]

Posted by Geneviève (# 9098) on :

With others, thank you for letting us know what happened, and I am so very glad she was not alone at the end.

Posted by piglet (# 11803) on :

I can only reiterate what everyone else has said; what an awful thing to happen to someone not yet 40. May she rest in peace. [Votive]

Posted by clare (# 17) on :

Thanks Simon and Jason. A knot in my stomach reading this, but as others have posted, glad that there were little bits of comfort among the awfulness.

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :

Thank you, Simon and Jason for the information. And thanks to You for the bravery You gave them to share this.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

Thanks, Simon and Jason. I'm glad she had friends with her.

Posted by Lady A (# 3126) on :

What a gift to share with us all - details in the midst of so much pain. Thank you Jason and Simon. [Votive]

Posted by Ecclesiastical Flip-flop (# 10745) on :

Thanks Simon and Jason for sharing this. Now that I have explored this sad matter further, I am getting more and more aware of the reality of the situation.

Posted by Bean Sidhe (# 11823) on :

I can't add anything to what others have said. Just so awful.

Posted by duchess (# 2764) on :

Oh LORD. So fast, so sudden. [Votive]

Posted by Autenrieth Road (# 10509) on :

Not saying anything original, but I wanted to add my own words. Thank you Simon for posting this, and thank you Jason for permitting Simon to share it with us. I don't know why it helps to know what happened, but it does.

Rest in peace and rise in glory, Erin [Votive]

Posted by Marinaki (# 343) on :

Oh my goodness! That's a real shock. Thank you for letting us know!

May God grant rest to her soul!

Posted by Scarlet (# 1738) on :

Simon and Jason, thanks from me as well for graciously allowing this to be shared.

Erin was almost the same age as my daughter, who is Wandering with Hope on Ship, but sends her condolences as well, since her account is way past inactive...

[Votive]

Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :

Thank you for this information. I think it helps me to know and understand what happened, which helps me with accepting this.

One the one hand, it is still very sad, and on the other, a stark warning about the dangers of flu, which is not as innocuous as it is often treated.

And I am glad that she was with friends, and appears not to have suffered.

Posted by Rossweisse (# 2349) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Janine:
I figure Heaven has been impressed with her all along.

I need a thumbs-up emoticon or something for this.

Thank you, Simon, for giving us the scoop on what happened.

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

I've been thinking about this since Simon has posted and figured I'd share my thought. I am "made" to get the influenza shot every year because of my MS. I resent this normally. as your basic closet libertarian I dont like being "made" to do anything.

I will never resent that shot again. nor will I overlook my kids getting it.

Posted by Miss Monica (# 16131) on :

According to the British Medical Journal, the leading cause of death related to influenza is secondary pneumonia.

http://thinktwice.com/BMJ_Flu.pdf

"…according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 'influenza and pneumonia' took 62,034 lives in 2001 — 61,777 of which were attributed to pneumonia and 257 to flu, and in only 18 cases was flu virus positively identified."

A pneumonia vaccination prevents the most common 23 serotypes of infection.

http://www.medicinenet.com/pneumococcal_vaccination/article.htm

I’ve read that Streptococcus pneumoniae septicaemia is common in people with system lupus erythematosus. & those with SLE are urged to receive the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.

I think knowing the answer to "why?" is life's booby prize. & yet I too still wanted to know. & kept coming to the bulletin board to find out.

And now I probably know "why" and there's still nothing I can do about it. Q.E.D.

(The brain is a problem creating machine. It thinks it can go back in time to solve the problems it is devising in the present.)

Erin was so smart, vibrant, and vivid, she seemed to me to be invincible. I had nothing but respect for her (and the occasional rosy-warm feeling from her having smacked me a good one). And even though I hadn't talked to her in 10 years... Taking this hard.

Posted by Banner Lady (# 10505) on :

Miss Monica, I joined long after you left. I have enjoyed your posts tremendously - and I sincerely hope you will let all us latecomers get to know you better. Please stick around. Too much loss of brilliance in such a short time would be doubly devastating.

Just saying.

Posted by James the Confident (# 9678) on :

[Tear]

Thanks for sharing.

Posted by koshatnik (# 11938) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Miss Monica:
Erin was so smart, vibrant, and vivid, she seemed to me to be invincible.

Invincible is how I saw her, too. Punchy, full of life. I still can't believe she's gone.

Posted by Chelley (# 11322) on :

quote:
Originally posted by koshatnik:

quote:
Originally posted by Miss Monica:
Erin was so smart, vibrant, and vivid, she seemed to me to be invincible.
Invincible is how I saw her, too. Punchy, full of life. I still can't believe she's gone.

That was exactly my reaction on hearing the sad news...

quote:
I suppose I kind of thought Erin was invincible.
My thoughts are with her loved ones, so sorry.
What a shock.

Posted by RuthW (# 13) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Miss Monica:
Taking this hard.

I still can't believe I'll never get to meet her. It's so fucking wrong. And unfair.

Posted by RooK (# 1852) on :

quote:
Originally posted by RuthW:
I still can't believe I'll never get to meet her. It's so fucking wrong. And unfair.

Ex-fucking-zactly.

Posted by Late Quartet (# 1207) on :

I'm glad that we know at least enough to understand something about Erin's passing: it does make it easier to comprehend / accept to have some details. Thank you Jason & Simon.

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