This is breaking my heart and making me very angry. First I am sorry that Tom was so very ill and hopeless that the only answer he had was to take his life. My tears fall for his wife and children. Why must a man and his family suffer so much with no good medical help. It is a crime that this, good, kind man had to leave behind his loving family in order to escape the torture of this disease.
What is it going to take for our pain to be taken seriously. We have heard for years and years now that breakthroughs are coming. Well, as we have witnessed over the past 6-8 weeks many us our losing the will and/or strength to hang on to empty promises of hope anymore.
I do not understand why not one single new treatment has been offered to ill patients in all these years. When we first become sick we run around like maniacs trying to get well; never believing that an illness noone takes seriously can bring us down so hard. Then after years and years of fruitless efforts we become shells of ourselves, broken, sad people who try to keep on living another day for our families...but as is seen over and over again, this can become impossible.
I know there is more research being done then ever before but the results that come out are meaningless to those of us hanging on by our fingernails to life if there are no new treatments proposed.
When Lipkin first became involved, he said with a million $'s he could solve this disease. Well that was years ago and relatively very little has come from his lab, nothing that has been of any help to the sickest of us.
How many more of us must die and leave behind our loved ones before a treatment is found.
Dear Tom and Family: I am so sorry you suffered through this nightmare. I will not say that Tom is in a better place...because he is not..the place he belonged was with his family....but I do understand why he left, it's very hard to keep hanging on day after day in pain with no hope.....I am so sorry for your pain and loss.
Please, please, please let Tom's death be a loud siren to the researchers, doctors and government....we need help and we need it now!!!
RIP Tom