I was recently contacted (via the comments section) by a mother who lost her son, Paul Victorian, due to, what she claims, was a result of being prescribed two very powerful medications, namely, Risperdal (Johnson & Johnson) and Abilify (Bristol-Myers Squibb Company)
Paul Gerard Victorian Jr was just 25 when he passed away on February 22, 2013. Cause of death, according to his mom, Tina, was cardiac arrest which, she believes, was caused by the medication he was taking prior to his death.
Tina has been at loggerheads with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has been trying to get answers to the type of questions we all should be asking.
It's painful to read but we, as humans with empathy, should not shirk our responsibilities just because this is someone else's child.
Tina writes...
"Only thing I know for sure is that my one and only son passed from a cardiac arrest on 30mg of Abilify. He didn’t have a heart disease, his heart was normal. He just had a complete Physical January 17, 2013 and he passed away February 22, 2013. Thirty two days later. I’m in pain. Most family went to visit there kids at there homes this Christmas, I went to Rockville Cemetery Row 2, Plot 1 on Campi Ave to spend Christmas with my one and only son. The crazy thing that we noticed is that the ground where his casket lays haven’t settled into the earth yet, my husband said it’s because Paul’s case/death isn’t settled. I promised Paul at his casket that mom was going to make this right, He didn’t have a voice but I, going to speak for him.I been trying to seek help since February 23, 2013 even before my baby was laid to rest trying to seek help."
Emails to the FDA and various other organisations have, it seems, proved fruitless. I know the feeling of frustration Tina must be feeling. Medicine regulators are notorious for giving people, and patients, the runaround.
As you can imagine, her online story regarding her son's death is fast-moving and packs a punch, it also pulls at the heart strings.
At present, I'm trying to make contact with Tina to put everything into one simple format. Hopefully, she will respond as I would love to share her story with readers of this blog.
Meantime, she has a blog and has come out fighting against the system that, seemingly, failed her son.
Her blog can be found here, it's harrowing but, hey, I've not found a pharmaceutical company or medicine regulator yet who can throw out any form of light to guide us, in fact, most of the stuff they regurgitate is surrounded by darkness.
Her story needs sharing and she needs support. I urge all the mothers and fathers out there to reach out to this woman, the same mothers and fathers who, over the years, I have met and listened to regarding the deaths of their children. You will know, more than I, what this tortured soul is going through right now, you will feel the pain and the frustration much more than someone like me who just writes about these kind of stories then has the ability (at times) to switch off and sleep.
Bob Fiddaman.
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