Shame really,

I dont read a lot of the news but it was pointed out to me by an ex-police man ive become friendly with about the policeman thats taken his own life after being blasted with a shot gun and ended up blind,

His marrage broke up and life got just to much for him.

What a shame his just going to work cost him and his x-wife so much pain.
It's so sad it really is.

 

His name was David Rathband, from Blyth in Northumberland. Following his blindness he set up the Blue Lamp Foundation, a charity to help other officers.
You are right his death was tragic. His legacy (Blue Lamp) is being continued by his twin brother.

 

So sad, another death atributable to the nutter's action on that day.
I couldn't live with blindness, not after seeing the world and all its beauty.

 

I just liked your post John, but i guess thats an inapropriate thing to do on such a subject.

My thoughts go out to the family, so sad.

 

Though you do, as do thousands of others every year

In 2005 I had a stroke, the result was I was blind
The RNIB Instantly supported me, with a visit within 24 hours to my home, and every need was met
Fortunately, in a previous life I was a touch typist at 100 wpm, and later on in life worked in IT and networking for 30 years
Even better was after four months my sight started returning with just a right hemeopia
ie If I held a cup I could only see the left hand side of it. or the left hand side of anything, no mater where you placed it
Unfortuanatley the corporate barstewards who sell, software for blind people have the mistaken belief that the Gubernment will pay for everything so charge you in excess of £1000 for a programme that talks type (a light version of this is available through win xp onwards included in the programme)

I eventually got all my sight back, and it was a struggle as the first thing is your company dismiss you as you are no use, so you become broke, and can not pay your mortgage, benefits do pay your rent but not a mortage, so you have to sell up
Only once you have sold up you have more money than you are allowed to claim benefits, so have to live of that until you are totally broke, then benefits will house you in a hostel

Next hurdle is your family a good wife as I have, stands by and supports through thick and thin, not ditch you which adds to the despair, no sight no wife no home

It does take a good family/wife to support, as loss of sight as with loss of family ie:- berevement goes through its stages, hate, anger, despair, temper, why me!

We managed and I did get my sight back and employment

David Rathband, from Blyth in Northumberland (the police officer) must have had the full wages as injured in duty,PLUS compensation with the full support of his employers, who regulary checked on his well being
A brother is all well and good but a brother is not YOUR WIFE and family

No doubt his anger and possible temper caused his family to desert him, which left him only despair and the inevitable result May he RIP

Jack McHammocklashing

 

The whole business is just terrible. There are a lot of things we don't know, such as the reasons his marriage broke down - which is, sadly, very common even in the case of strong marriages after a traumatic event as everyone involved struggles to cope. The sub-text is that he had a bad wife, but without knowing the full facts we should not judge that. Perhaps the marriage was in grave difficulties before he lost his sight.

The other thing which interests me is why some people manage to get through a terrible ordeal and come out the other side, and some don't. Life is precious and it's hard not to feel that he gave up too soon - 5 years would be a minimum to try to come to terms with what happened to him, although that's a long time to get through if you're in mental agony.

It reminds me of various other cases-
The Falklands soldier, Simon, who had horrific injuries (though not blindness or other major disability) and his wife/girlfriend left him, but he has had many years of fulfilling life.
A 21 year old student who was completely paralysed in a rugby accident and opted for assisted suicide, within a few years of the event.
And as Jack McH says, many other people who live with blindness and other disabilities but also live fulfilled lives.

I guess everyone knows their own limitations and what makes life worth living for them. But it is incredible what the human spirit can endure given acceptance and determination.

 

I agree Ziggy, this news really made me feel very sad.

Val

 

I heard all about the news
Very sad indeed.... RIP David.
My mother has Glaucoma.
Now she is blind by this awful disease of the eyes
BG

 

Just for once, the Zig is a bit stumped for words.

I had the honour of serving Simon Weston when I was a bank teller in Aldershot. To my shame I didn't quite know how to react to his injuries, I just served him with no comment.

 

I remember Simon Weston.
Was he the man with severe burns and he had a lot of scarring around the face?
BG

 

Yep, he's a star

http://www.simonweston.com/

Must have been hell for the guy.

Always remember Moonraker coming to my till too, he was the one with the black eye.

 

I feel for Simon, only he was made the celeb and is now a millionaire, his thirtysix comarades were not and live on a minimum army pension

When you do not have a million pounds in the bank and have terrible injuries, you are not so attractive to the opposite sex,

258 killed BUT 777 Wounded in action, whom no one has a clue of THEIR name, and they have to live on pennies, the bomb and fire just did not injure ONE of the 37 members of the unit on board the transport

The same when we are informed of a death in Afghanistan, these troops are in groups of eight, the IED does not kill one and everything is fine and honky dory for the other seven six yards apart, people just do not think about that side of it Just Oh no another one killed "There are worse things than death"

Enough this is a gardening forum, so I will bow out

Jack McHammocklashing