Corpora callosa of young football players could be at risk
Shared sorrow mark club members
A recent article in Time described the experiences of some who have lost their children and whose worlds have been forever altered. From all walks of life and diverse backgrounds, these folks become tethered together. “It’s a club you spend your whole life hoping you won’t ever become a part of,” says Nicole Hockley, whose son Dylan, 6, was killed in the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. “But once you’re in, you’re in.”
Mitchell Dworet and Melissa Wiley are connected by death of their children. Mr. Dworet’s 17-year-old son Nicholas was killed during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in February 2018. A month later, Ms. Willey’s daughter Jaelynn, 16, was shot to death by a fellow student at Great Mills High School in Maryland. They connected through Facebook. “I felt like I should reach out. I wanted to pay it forward,” explains Mr. Dworet.
“When you’ve gone through this kind of tragedy with other people, you see their humanity, where they’re coming from,” says Darrell Scott, whose 17-year-old daughter Rachel was killed at Columbine. Politics can differ – as can views on the painful issue of gun control measures – and friendships might not develop. Still, however, they share one enduring bond.
The connection with others can help in the immediate aftermath, and can continue to be important over time. “When you lose a child violently and publicly, there’s an outpouring of support at first,” said Sandy Phillips, whose 24-year-old daughter Jessi was shot with 11 others at a cinema in Aurora, Colo., in 2012. “Once the vigils are over and the media is gone, that’s when things get really bad. The world moves on, and you don’t. You can’t. It’s a pain you can’t outrun.”
“A huge emotional jolt”
In the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook Anchorage, Alaska, on Nov. 30, and the many aftershocks, residents are scrambling to cope with their changed lives. For those who lost possessions, the pain is real. But there comes the realization for many that they survived and that material possessions can, for the most part, be replaced.
Psychological changes, meanwhile, can prove profound and lasting. Researchers have found that large earthquakes can produce PTSD and anxiety. Some survivors can come away from earthquakes with difficulty concentrating and hypervigilance.
As one resident explains to Anchorage Daily News, “I felt yesterday like I had one final nerve and every aftershock was playing on that nerve.”
K.J. Worbey, a mental health counselor for Southcentral Foundation – an Alaska Native health care organization – describes the experience as a “huge emotional jolt.” She adds there is “lots of uncertainly about our own safety. Safety of our families and our homes. ... When we are faced with that kind of an emotional crisis, it takes a whole lot of energy to navigate it.”
Ms. Worbey recommends limiting alcohol, eating a healthy diet, and exercising appropriately. “Try to get some energy out. Try and get that excess emotional stuff out,” she said. Other prudent measures include sticking to a normal routine as much as is possible, including mealtimes and sleep, and talking with neighbors and friends.
