The JonBenet Case and Cruel Stress
Many years ago, the attorney Roy Cohn (who would have his own share of stress) once said that he didn't care if an indictment stuck or not. The thing that mattered was that it made Page One in the newspapers. It's true; once the charge is made, whether based in concrete evidence or supposition, it lives as though it were nothing but the truth. Retractions are usually relegated to the back pages of newspapers.
Now, there is a new suspect in the Christmas day murder of JonBenet Ramsey, the kiddie beauty queen who was killed in her home a decade ago. Who was the prime suspect in the case originally? JonBenet's mother, Patsy, who recently died after a battle with cancer. How much did the stress contribute to her death?
I've said it before, and so do many others in the healthcare community, stress kills because it depletes the body's ability to fight disease. Cancer, if it is one or a series of viruses as is suspected, takes advantage of weakened immune systems and being accused of the horrendous murder of your child would certain attack your immune system. Think what Patsy Ramsey went through and of all the unsavory allegations not only of murder, but worse.
We can only imagine how stressful every day of Patsy Ramsey's life was before she died and how this affected her husband and young son -- all of whom would come under the cloud of suspicion in this case.
What are your thoughts?
Related Topics: Stress Management: The Effects of Stress, Stress in the Workplace, JonBenet Ramsey: Are There Lessons To Be Learned From Her Tragic Story?
Technorati Tags: JonBenet Ramsey, cancer, stress, crime
Now, there is a new suspect in the Christmas day murder of JonBenet Ramsey, the kiddie beauty queen who was killed in her home a decade ago. Who was the prime suspect in the case originally? JonBenet's mother, Patsy, who recently died after a battle with cancer. How much did the stress contribute to her death?
I've said it before, and so do many others in the healthcare community, stress kills because it depletes the body's ability to fight disease. Cancer, if it is one or a series of viruses as is suspected, takes advantage of weakened immune systems and being accused of the horrendous murder of your child would certain attack your immune system. Think what Patsy Ramsey went through and of all the unsavory allegations not only of murder, but worse.
We can only imagine how stressful every day of Patsy Ramsey's life was before she died and how this affected her husband and young son -- all of whom would come under the cloud of suspicion in this case.
What are your thoughts?
Related Topics: Stress Management: The Effects of Stress, Stress in the Workplace, JonBenet Ramsey: Are There Lessons To Be Learned From Her Tragic Story?
Technorati Tags: JonBenet Ramsey, cancer, stress, crime
11 Comments:
I just heard that Mrs. Ramsey was aware of this impending arrest before her death. I am so pleased. And I totally believe stress can kill and whne you least expect it. Look at the president of Enron!
For years I argued online with people about Patsy Ramsey's innocence. There was NO WAY I believed that such horrid things could be done to a child by her own mother, particularly when that mother had already raised children who by their own accounts had no memories of ANY abuse.
It was a horrible accusation that should never, ever have been made. I'm glad Patsy went to her grave knowing they were on the heels of a suspect but at the same time, I'm angry beyond belief about what they put her through unnecessarily.
And it wasn't just the police. Let's hammer Geraldo and all the pundits who leaped on the Ramseys and started making dirt for hot news reports while it was all happening.
What a brave and strong woman she was. Her memory is owed complete and total exoneration -- I hope the police and press are big enough to offer it.
I just read today about the suspect in Jon Benets' murder. What I didn't know was that Patsy had died in July. It breaks my heart knowing that Patsy didn't get to see her daughters murderer. Maybe now she can rest in peace. God Bless to the Ramsey Family
I thank god that the killer has (perhaps) been found but i mourn the 10 years taken away from that family...they lost their daughter and never got the comfort & support they deserved.
and, yes, stress can kill. My grandmother died two weeks after her husband of 63 years died. Reason? broken heart
I think that if stress can make people ill then surely it can kill. Not only by taking advantage of a weakened, sluggish, ineffective immune system but also by affecting a person psychologically. Stress takes away a person's psychological strength (my term), their ability to be strong, fight, feel as if there are solutions.
Patsy Ramsey was seriously ill with stage IV cancer when her daughter was murdered or maybe was in remission at that time, I don't recall. Did the stress of having to live with a public thinking she could murder her own child, causing her to move across the country to escape the memories and to look for some peace, to continue to see books and other media released and remind her of her loss and the public's suspicions contrtribute to her cancer returning? Possibly, but the answer is really the same one we should have been saying since little JonBenet was murdered and we wondered who would do that: I don't know. We have a problem saying that in our society about a lot of things. We think we have to have a answer for everything and it must come quickly as our super-fast-paced society now demands. Had we simply, as a public, said 'I don't know' who could do such a thing and left those people alone to grieve and try to rebuild their lives, then maybe Patsy would still be here to feel the relief of having her daughter's murderer found.... but... I don't know. I, too, am so glad she knew before her death that a suspect had been identified.
Stress is inevitable in our lives and we know what how it affects us. Exceptional stress like in a situation like this must have just been off the charts in it's effects, both immediate and long-term.
I think the public statement that John Ramsey released was eloquent and touching.
~Tasker
another thing I was thinking of this morning is Jean Smart...the girl in Salt Lake City...suspicision fell on her father & uncle...of course, later they were cleared...but they had a horrible year as well.
Another reader here mentioned ken lay & his recent heart attack...People have always been accused of misdoings but hte press today - the 24 hour channels, the blogs, the cable outlets, the radio shows - they will not let up. They demonize & they hound. It's no wonder that the body finds a way to let the mind escape.
It scares me to think about people having heart attacks or being diagnosed with cancer because of external stress. Its hard enough to be worried but its worse when you think that you're bringing bigger medical problems onto yourself. How can people cope?
All of us agree that a major wrong was committed in the JonBenet case and it wasn't just the horrific murder of that child, it was against the family. Even though the crime may now have been solved, how many people associated with that crime will continue to suffer from the stress of it?
I think it brings up our darkest fears when a child is killed in the safety of their own home. But let's use this constructively. I don't want to sound like a teacher here, but it's a lesson we can all use.
One of you mentioned how specific TV shows or newspaper articles may have wrongfully pointed, time and again, to the family. Everyone has a voice here and it can be used for good. When you see something you believe is wrong, speak up. Your voice will be heard and offensive pandering will be curbed, but only if there is challenge to the Miss Lonelyhearts types. Houses have locks and people have voices.
True, stress is inevitable and a part of life, but balance the everyday stress with joyful activities and people whom you enjoy. There is a prescription here, too, and it's making every day have at least a few minutes of joy in it. What's joy? Only you know what it is for you.
Mrs. Ramsey's stress is over now. May she rest in peace.
Dr. Farrell, your words are comforting....finding joy in the everyday is the key to reducing worry. And speaking out when we see a wrongdoing, is giving us more control over the situation.
The autopsy of JonBenet showed that she had been sexually molested for some time - there was old scar tissue. What kind of stress would that put on a mother, to find out your child had been abused? And who was that abuser? Someone very close, who had contact with her frequently enough to inflict physical scars. That person knows who they are, but is not man enough to confess. Patsy's death is on his hands too. And I think Patsy knew who it was, but in the stress and anguish of losing her child, decided it was better to take it to her grave than do anything to further disgrace and cause pain to her family.
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