I've been very lucky in my lifetime, the amount of suffering and loss has been minimal. I'm grateful for that. Tonight though my life was touched with a loss. A friend from Iqaluit has taken her own life. I am deeply saddened.
She was one of the first people I met in Iqaluit when I got off the plane. We connected instantly. Her zest for life was contagious as was her laugh. Unfortunately she suffered from depression and her lows were often hard on not only her but those around her. We parted ways in the six months before I left the North. It was unfortunate but it happened, in fact she lost a number of friends during that time.
I received an email earlier this afternoon saying she had gone missing and that search and rescue was out looking for her. A few hours later I received another note telling me that she had passed. The details are still a bit fuzzy at this point but it all points to suicide. She took her dogs for a walk on Friday evening and when she didn't return home her roommate called search and rescue. She walked out onto the tundra removed her coat and froze to death. Apparently she left a note.
A lot of people are saddened by this loss and we all wish we could have done more. Could have helped her in some way. But we couldn't. Most of us have tried to help her in our own ways, but in the end she needed to want to be helped.
Lindsay, I am saddened by you leaving this life. I only hope you find the peace and love you deserve in the next life. Your laughter still rings in my ears and your heart will always have a place in mine.
Two of Lindsay's dogs...her babies.
Christmas 2006 in Iqaluit
5 comments:
Jennifer,
Sorry to hear about the death of your friend. There aren't any words that one can say to make it easier, especially under suicide circumstances, always so very hard to understand. I worked with a lady whose son committed suicide and she said the only way to deal with the loss was to realize that the only person that's able to answer her questions is the person that is no longer with them. She became very active in suicide prevention and found her own way through it. Very hard I'm sure. I hope Lindsay's family has a good circle of family and friends to help them through this tragic time.
With all the cold weather you've been having you will have to get your new truck cord right away, would have been quite a sight to watch you drive down the road with the cord bouncing all over the place!
Take care ... Lori B.
Jennifer:
My sympathy on the loss of your friend. I know you feel pretty helpless to do anything living so far away now but thankfully your friends from "your other home" thought of you and shared with you the tragic loss of Lindsay.
Edith
J... so sorry to hear this. If you need a shoulder, even if long distance, you know where I am.
Jen,
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Lindsay. I hope that your warm memories of your time with her before her illness worsened will be some comfort.
B.
I truly feel your pain on this topic. There were 10 completed suicides in Kugluktuk when I was pregnant. I even lost a student at the college. That played a huge role in us choosing to leave.
Post a Comment