Back to our guest author, Ellen Hopkins! Her live chat is next Wednesday night, April 22nd, at 6:00 Pacific, rgz!
Vanessa finds her mother overdosed on the kitchen floor but doesn't call 911. Do you understand Vanessa at this point? What do you think you might have done?
Have you ever been in a life or death situation like this?
10 comments:
I've never been in this situation, but I can see a person getting to a point where they're worn down by a parent's behavior. And maybe unsure. And so they let that moment--the moment to call 911--pass by.
I have never been in that particular situation but I have experienced similar things...
I am a firm believer that no matter what, ALWAYS call 911. Even if it's the worst person in the world I am sure their life has some value!
I've never faced anything that traumatic. If I had been in that position, I would call 911. The former lifeguard in me would just leap into response mode. As cupcakewitch wrote, every life has value and you have no right to go against that, no matter how complex your feelings about a person might be.
You have to remember Vanessa herself was mentally unstable at the time. It wasn't really revenge. As she saw it, she was doing her mother a favor in a way... and maybe saving herself and her brother from hurt.
I have actually talked a friend (who is bipolar, like Vanessa) out of attempted suicides twice. Thank goodness she called me before she pulled the trigger. She became suicidal because she cold turkeyed off her meds, like Conner. So you can see where some of these scenes came from.
Ellen, one of my friends committed suicide, and I wish I had received a call so that I could have tried to talk him out of it. That said, in hindsight, he was giving off signals that I just didn't read correctly when I was 21.
Oh, Justina. This will always weigh down my heart.
I'm so thankful you were able to help your friend, Ellen!
Yes, Vanessa was ill herself when she passed her mother by. I've never been in a situation like this before. Thankfully...
Car accidents are the closest I have come to being in a life and death situation. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital with a concussion when I was fifteen. I have never had to deal with someone else being in a life and death situation, one where I had to make split second decisions. The closest thing I had was when my cat of 18 years had to be put to sleep. That was so traumatic I can't even imagine what would happen with a person.
I don't think this is a situation I would ever want to experience.
Lesley
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