Hey buddy, it's Daddy again, and this time a very angry Daddy. No, I am not angry with you about anything, and not even angry about your death...Daddy is angry with a very irresponsible article I read on NPR's website (ref). The article uses one "pediatric mortality investigator" from Wayne County, Michigan and cites "In Wayne County, Mich., 50 to 60 infants die suddenly and unexpectedly each year, most of them in Detroit." Let us think about this one for a bit...ok, a split second is all I needed to realize that one opinion about 50 to 60 infants deaths from one investigator, in one of the crappiest areas in the United States (Detroit and Flint, Michigan rank #1 and 2 on the crappy city list (ref)) is pretty much worthless. It is bad enough to have to live with your death and deal with the roller coaster of emotions that come with it...but to have idiots tell me (and parents like me) that SIDS is really suffocation from neglect!!! Screw NPR for their irresponsible behavior!
Thanks for letting Daddy rant about things that make him angry. In some ways I should thanks the douche bags at NPR for making me so angry...after all when I am angry in relation to your death, I think about you more intensely and that brings me closer to you.
Much love from your not as angry now Daddy!
For those who may be from either Detroit or Flint, don't get your panties in a bunch...my home town of Baltimore ranks as the #8 crappy city on the list.
ReplyDeleteDear ColinsDaddy: I heard that NPR "story" and have been fluctuating between outrage and extreme disappointment in it's misleading and confusing message. We lost our son, Cooper, in May of 2007. He was 96 days old. When the tagline implied some understanding behind the "mystery of SIDS," I tuned in eagerly as much of my "news" is from NPR. Needless to say, it's lack of science and insight into the SIDS experience floored me. As you said, "lumping" suffocation in with true SIDS is simply irresponsible and insulting. I would think science would have unraveled one of it's biggest mysteries long ago if the answer was as simple as better sleeping habits (and by direct implication, better parenting.) I'm surprised at the lack of response from those who know better and lack of clarification for the
ReplyDeletefuzzy lines nationally disseminated by NPR last Friday. We've gotten a little further along the terrible road your family has been forced to travel this year. I send our compassion and the promise that the boulder of grief on your shoulders will feel more natural with each passing year. It's small comfort I know but it's all we've got. It's a shitty road.
Chippy,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear that you are is "the club" as well. SIDS is a horrible diagnosis in terms of bringing any sense of real closer to the death of our children, and to have people try to imply that SIDS is simply suffocation through neglect is just ignorant and disrespecting to the memories of our children.
Thank you for taking the time to reply to my ranting post. It really does help to have other fathers out there validate some of my feelings...especially father's going through the same or similar circumstances.
All the best to you and your family,
Steven
I heard this story as well -- If every baby placed on their tummy died, well -- I'd be dead, too -- my mom placed all of her babies on their tummies -- all 7 of us. What a dumb report -- needlessly worrying parents and needlessly giving them the belief that have any control over this hand-of-God retrieval of souls. Shame on NPR.
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