Heart-wrenching statement from the Raskin family on the suicide of their 25-yr-old son.

[Nevilledog]

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Greg Miller
@gregpmiller
·
Jan 4, 2021
What a heart-wrenching statement from the @RepRaskin family on the suicide of their 25-yr-old son.

Statement of Congressman Jamie Raskin and Sarah Bloom Raskin on the Remarkable Life of Tommy Raskin
TAKOMA PARK, M.D. — Congressman Jamie Raskin and Sarah Bloom Raskin today released the following statement about their son Thomas (Tommy)…
repraskin.medium.com

Greg Miller
@gregpmiller
“He left us this farewell note on New Year’s Eve day: ‘Please forgive me. My illness won today. Please look after each other, the animals, and the global poor for me. All my love, Tommy.’”

Statement of Congressman Jamie Raskin and Sarah Bloom Raskin on the Remarkable Life of Tommy Raskin
TAKOMA PARK, M.D. — Congressman Jamie Raskin and Sarah Bloom Raskin today released the following statement about their son Thomas (Tommy)…
repraskin.medium.com
4:13 PM · Jan 4, 2021

https://repraskin.medium.com/statement-of-congressman-jamie-raskin-and-sarah-bloom-raskin-on-the-remarkable-life-of-tommy-raskin-f93b0bb5d184

[cilla4progress]

1. Why.

And how. Does this happen.

Beyond sad.

[elleng]

3. 'My illness won today. Please look after each other, the animals, and the global poor for me.

“We have barely been able to scratch the surface here, but you have a sense of our son. Tommy Raskin had a perfect heart, a perfect soul, a riotously outrageous and relentless sense of humor, and a dazzling radiant mind. He began to be tortured later in his 20s by a blindingly painful and merciless ‘disease called depression,’ as Tabitha put it on Facebook over the weekend, a kind of relentless torture in the brain for him, and despite very fine doctors and a loving family and friendship network of hundreds who adored him beyond words and whom he adored too, the pain became overwhelming and unyielding and unbearable at last for our dear boy, this young man of surpassing promise to our broken world.

“On the last hellish brutal day of that godawful miserable year of 2020, when hundreds of thousands of Americans and millions of people all over the world died alone in bed in the darkness from an invisible killer disease ravaging their bodies and minds, we also lost our dear, dear, beloved son, Hannah and Tabitha’s beloved irreplaceable brother, a radiant light in this broken world.

“He left us this farewell note on New Year’s Eve day: ‘Please forgive me. My illness won today. Please look after each other, the animals, and the global poor for me. All my love, Tommy.’”

[hlthe2b]

9. I'm not one who judges suicide as a personal betrayal or failure. It is quite often a disease

and one that no one can understand from the "outside." It is, however, a real tragedy for all left behind.

I'm very sorry for the Raskins and their' loss. He sounds like a truly special man.

[samnsara]

55. they tried to fight an enemy that enviably wins..my heart is broken for them..

[Stinky The Clown]

57. I just now tried to read that aloud to Sparkly. I couldn't get all the way through

[elleng]

59. Tears every time I THINK of it,

and sent to my daughter who attended school in DC with Eden Raskin, and became acquainted with the family.

Funeral tomorrow, and Jamie, my congressmember, working every day.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

2. Oh, man.....

no other words

[BigmanPigman]

4. I figured that was what happened. Usually when there is no reason

given for the cause of death it is due to suicide and a lot of people don't want to say that it is for some reason. Some people use this type of death to help others who may also be considering suicide. I feel badly for his family, not an easy time for any of us. Too, too sad.

[StarfishSaver]

5. Oh, my

I was afraid that this was what happened, based on how they worded the original statement.

Poor, sweet young man and his poor family. My heart goes out to all of them.

[malaise]

6. Too sad

[CatMor]

7. So very sad ...

he had everything going for him. Depression is a hard one to fight.

[bdamomma]

61. The pain

was too much for him, so sad....Depression does not discriminate. So sad.

[CatMor]

62. My son suffers from clinical depression ...

he is on medication and manages to lead a pretty normal life. I worry all the time about him.

[bdamomma]

63. He's doing the best

thing of getting the help he needs and on medication. He just needs to communicate with his Drs. and with you.

[cilla4progress]

8. I can't imagine how unbearable the pain must have been,

given all his support!

[ffr]

10. Just when we need more Raskins in the world to make it a better place.

Sad.

[abqtommy]

11. RIP Tommy...

[Demsrule86]

12. I have almost lost my daughter to suicide...she told me sometimes the pain is to great to go on...

she has been hospitalized and had medication but mental health in this country is terrible...even for the well off.

[OhNo-Really]

31. Access is unaffordable & unreliable

& limited by our sucks pickles, health damaging insurance greedy bahsteds!

The quality is rarely dependable unless very wealthy.

I know somewhat of your stress. It’s terrifying knowing depression is hurting our children.

[MustLoveBeagles]

35. ...

[mcar]

13. Such a tragedy

He sounds like he was a wonderful young man. My nephew suffers from bouts of depression. It is a great concern for so many families.

[malaise]

14. A former co-worker's daughter who (like her mother) also suffered

from depression also committed suicide but on Christmas Eve. She too was a law student.
2020 was a horrific year for people already suffering from depression.

[FreeState]

15. If you are in crisis

If for any reason you are in crisis or need to talk, the following are good resources for our community:

Trevor Lifeline (866-488-7386) -- This is a 24hr, 7 day a week service.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network)
Hotline [phone] HOPE

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1 800 799 SAFE

GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project
1.800.832.1901

Stop It Now- Child Sexual Abuse Hotline
1.888.PREVENT

Childhelp
1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

The Women's Justice Center downloadable guide for rape victims.
http://justicewomen.com/help_special_rape.html

MaleSurvivor- Overcoming sexual victimization of boys and men.

A number of state-level organizations can be found here:
http://www.rapeis.org/support.html

Suicide Hotlines by State

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -- 1-800-273-8255

Trans Lifeline -- 877-565-8860

[hr]

DU also has a Sexual Assault Survivors Support group as well as other Support Groups.

You don't have to feel alone!

Taken from the LGBT forum.

[leftieNanner]

26. Thank you for collecting this information

And posting it here.

We never know when someone needs to see this right now.

[MustLoveBeagles]

37. Thank you for posting this

[bdamomma]

65. Very kind

of you to post this.

[NurseJackie]

16. I'm in tears. How tragic.

[KBlagburn]

17. I lost my 22 year old son...

on Dec 14, 2016 to suicide. My Heart cries for the Raskins. After my son's death I did not want to live. This is a grief you live with for the rest of your life. Every minute of every day. You never learn to live with it.

[malaise]

20. Too sad

[Jarqui]

24. Lost my best friend April 15, 1985

His birthday was Sept 15th.

I could not believe how tough those days around Sept 15, 2020 were more than 35 years later.

On finding a positive within a negative: you never stop loving them either.

[mokawanis]

27. My condolences

I can't fathom the pain you've been through and continue to live with. Peace to you and your family.

[StarlightGold]

39. Wish I could

take all that pain away.

[MustLoveBeagles]

40. I'm sorry

[Duppers]

46. I'm so very sorry.

I can barely imagine your pain.
It must feel as if your own heart was stopping. Hugs to you, KBlagburn.

[Cozmo]

51. I am so sorry

[Skittles]

69. so sorry, KBlagburn

my dad killed himself and I can never think of him without remembering how he died.....losing a child would be hard enough but depression is such a hideous illness, it does add to the pain

[bdamomma]

70. The pain

must be unbearable. I am so sorry for your loss.

[BComplex]

77. I'm so sorry, KBlagburn.

It truly does break your heart.

My husband's brother, who was his constant and best friend, died of suicide in 1987, and the whole community still speaks of him as if he was here just a few minutes ago. It's a small country community, and they'll never get over it.

Severe depression is such a living nightmare for the person experiencing it that all they want to do is make it stop. I was almost at that point in my 20's, but I pulled out of it after about 4 or 5 years with medical help. I know that many many people cannot pull out of it, like my husband's brother your son. It's an illness that is so cruel.

[Happyhippychick]

18. I'm in Jamie's district

And my heart is in pieces over this

[elleng]

19. So am I, in his district,

and my daughters attended school one of his cousins (I think) attended.

[cilla4progress]

21. I don't know if there is ever an understandable basis....

but I'm wondering if his love of animals just made it too much to bear...seeing the destruction of the natural world, wildlife, etc.?

[soldierant]

41. Having been at the brink,

I suspect probably not.

It isn't any particular hurt ... it's that you hurt all over., without explanation, without anything to grab for any kind of relief.

Issues can be addressed. This kind of overwhelming pain cannot - there is nothing to take hold of. It is all encompassing. I've been fortunate to have received (and still be receiving) treatment which helped.

[cilla4progress]

53. Woah, soldierant,

Thank you. Holding you in my heart. ❤

[Karadeniz]

56. You keep on hanging in there...the world needs to keep all the good people it can!!!

[shrike3]

64. Having dealt with depression all my life

Last edited Wed Jan 6, 2021, 11:09 AM - Edit history (1)

What you say is true. I remember talking to an acquaintance whose friend had killed herself. "How could she do that to her (adult) kids?" I said, "You hurt so damn bad, all you want is for the hurt to stop."

[soldierant]

78. That is it exactly!

And it's impossible to convey to anyone who has not felt it - or at least comparable physical pain.

I did find out, after major abdominal surgery, that when you wake up out of anesthesia, and the nurses are holding a pillow over your incision, and they tell you to cough, and you do, you get an instant of all over unbearable physical pain which is like the depression pain, only physical, and they can give you painkillers for it, which they can't for the psychic pain. But not that many people have experienced that either.

I am very lucky in that for me, it actually was a chemical imbalance, and I just need to be reasonably faithful with my meds and supplements and I am fine. But that doesn't mean I don't remember.

[shrike3]

80. People are finally starting to realize it's an illness, not a moral weakness.

One of the obstacles, I think, to getting treatment for so many. You can't just "cheer up" or "look at the bright side." Or "go for a walk in the woods." (Something I heard lately.)

I'm so glad your life is good now.

[soldierant]

81. Thanks.

I've seen even mental health professionals speak and write as if depression were on a continuum with sadness. It has literally nothing to do with sadness.

[shrike3]

82. I read an anecdote about an Auschwitz survivor.

Who later suffered from depression. He said depression was worse. In Auschwitz, he could retreat into his own mind. With depression, there was nowhere to go.

[MerryBlooms]

22. Heartbreaking. Internalizing all the pain and grief in the world and that feeling of helplessness...

Cross gently young man.

[smirkymonkey]

25. How heartbreaking!

What a lovely young man. I am so sorry that he had to suffer like that. I know a bit how he felt, as I felt that way when I was his age and off and on for a number of years afterward. It is a nightmare and nobody can judge a person when they are in that state. It is hell on earth.

My deepest condolences to the Raskin family. They have lost a wonderful son, brother and a beautiful person. May you rest in peace Tommy.

It seems so unfair when someone like this has to leave this world, and yet we are stuck with all these horrible hateful people like Trump, his family, his enablers and his cult. Sometimes I think that this place is hell and we just aren't aware of it.

[barbtries]

36. my mother always said,

and I have to agree, that she didn't believe in hell because it was all right here on earth.

[barbtries]

75. i don't know

she was raised episcopalian and was a reluctant atheist who always insisted she was agnostic.

[shrike3]

67. The good are gone too soon and the assholes live forever.

Been my observation.

[3catwoman3]

28. I was afraid that was going to be the reason.

How devastatingly sad.

[blueinredohio]

29. So sad, a young person like that gone so soon.

Hopefully the family gets good counseling. Sometimes there's a lot of self blame.

[Tommymac]

30. Godspeed Tommy

I suffer from depression. It is a disease. It is not a weakness. It is not a stigma.

If you go down the same dark paths Tommy and I have traveled, please please please seek out professional help.

I have been lucky. I acknowledged my disease. I was able to find a light to lead me away from the dark paths of my personal hell.

And believe me, if you do not suffer from depression you can never ever know how dark and lonely and hellish those paths are.

Acknowledge depression is a disease, not a defect or a weakness or a stigma.

Do it for me.
Do it for Tommy.
Do it for your family and those who love you.

Do it for YOU.

[classof56]

45. Blessings, Tommymac

Stay strong. Your words help more than you can know.

And Peace.

[dlk]

32. An incalculable loss

My heart goes out to the Raskin family.

[barbtries]

33. they did him proud with that.

so much potential dashed. Sadly I can well imagine the shock and pain his family is going through but have always believed that suicide opens up another level of hell and all I can do is cry for them all.

[MustLoveBeagles]

34. The Raskins raised a remarkable son

My condolences to all who knew him.

[liberalla]

38. Such a loss... I'm so sorry he suffered like this.

RIP Tommy.

[leighbythesea2]

42. How incredibly tragic

My heart goes out to them. He was clearly very wonderful and talented. One thought is anyone in college this last year, and now, have extra isolation happening too. Possibly people don't think this (some college students aren't distancing, but many many are) but I know a number of college students struggling. College is difficult to navigate in general, then covid takes the enjoyable parts away. If you know any young folks in the middle of it, assume it's rough, and try reaching out!

[Chicagogrl1]

43. Can't stop crying

My son lost a close friend who walked into the path of a train. A day doesn't go by that i don’t think of this young man. Their pain is so great & all they want to do, is to stop the pain. I am 💔 for the Raskins.

[Evolve Dammit]

44. I am so sorry to hear of the Raskin family's loss. Tragic. Depression is awful and is everywhere.

[turbinetree]

47. This is just so sad

[George II]

48. What a heartbreaking story, and a loving tribute to their son. So sad....

To think, every time we saw Jamie Raskin on television, in hearings, and interviews, he was so upbeat and enthusiastic. Who knew this was going on in his life behind the scenes.

[DFW]

49. Some friends of ours lost their son at about the same age. Depression is merciless.

We knew him, he was brilliant and funny, like his dad. Talented, a gifted writer, and suffering from depression that also finally won the battle for his life. His family was devastated, still is, now, some ten years later.

[shrike3]

66. A friend of ours lost her daughter to suicide.

She has been able to go on by advocating for mental health, participating in walks and fund raisers. Her daughter was 21.

I began experiencing depression when I was a child. I can remember as young as nine feeling awful. Unfortunately, no one back then believed a child could suffer from depression. I was told to "cheer up."

Oddly, I think coping with it at such a young age enabled me to come up with strategies that kept me going. I feel very sorry for people who experience it suddenly, at a later age.

When I was a young adult medication came into being that I was able to take, and have taken it ever since.

I am very sorry for your friends' loss.

[Cozmo]

50. I fear he was just too sensitive for this world

I wish I could reach out to the Raskins, I feel their pain.

[Pepsidog]

52. Just terrible. What a shame, too good for this world.

[backtoblue]

54. Oh this hurts

[bdamomma]

58. That is so

sad.

Once again, our mental health needs to be looked at seriously, if it was it could of saved this gifted individual.

My sympathy to the family.

[LisaL]

68. You don't know that.

Per his family statements, it was known he had suffered from depression and had "fine" doctors.

[BobTheSubgenius]

60. When my late younger sister (PSP, not suicide) was still in high school,

one of her classmates didn't come downstairs when called for dinner. Eventually, a sibling was sent to fetch him, and found that he had hung himself. Wearing his mother's clothes.

[vercetti2021]

71. Illness was too great

I nearly lost twice with it. And I feel sometimes I'm gonna lose the third time. Never know until it's too late to help someone

[FM123]

76. Oh my heart.

[peggysue2]

79. Heartbreaking

No words.