What is the most tragic thing you've ever had to deal with

[Uglyowl]

Really great life til the age of 27 (I would have nothing if this thread was 4 years ago)

Rank #2 February 16, 2004 diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, it sucked at the time, but it makes me a better person today

Rank #1 October 4, 2006 My pregnant wife stops feeling our 24 week old daughter move around in her stomach for a day+ and calls her doctor. She goes in and they hear no heartbeat. They have another doctor try and no luck. The ultrasound confirms the worst, our daughter was stillborn.

We go to the hospital around 7:00PM that night and they have to induce labor (just like a regular delivery) and 18 hours later she delivers. She looks like a normal baby except smaller. The cord wrapped around her neck killing her. Still to this day it sucks and my wife has not been the same (although getting much better as time passes).

[Taylor Caby]

My junior year of college one of my roommates (who was one of my best friends) hanged himself in our apartment. We woke up to find him one morning during the week. My parents and brother came down that afternoon to pick me up and take me away from campus for a few days. When we got home that night, we found out my grandmother had a serious stroke. They didn't expect her to live.

We drove up to Wisconsin the next morning to visit her. She was very out of it and we pretty much had to "say goodbye." She made a miraculous recovery that weekend and after my friends' funeral i went back to school. I came home two weeks later to spend an afternoon with my grandma, then went back to school. The next week I got a call from my dad that said she had suddenly died.

The rollercoaster of emotions that I went through that 3 week stretch is pretty hard to describe. It took the rest of that semester to really start to feel like myself again. In some ways, I still don't feel the same way I did before all of htat happened.

tc

[maniacut]

I got raped on a bus, I was about 7 years old. Not the definition everyone is accustomed to but it was an outrageous violation. The bus was crowded and I was with my mom just like every weekday morning she took me to school before she went to work herself. We were standing, a man put his penis on her back/butt, I didn't say anything and don't think I said anything when we got off the bus either, I did my best to forget about that day for a long time but I can't and I'm not too sure about that detail. There was a stain on the back of her dress. Fast forward at least 5 years, by chance I went grocery shopping with my parents one weekend midday and the guy from the bus was there too, alone and doing his grocery shopping. I didn't say anything.

[blacklab]

I'm right there with you Uglyowl except we were at 39 weeks. My wife was due on October 10th of this year, On the 5th she didn't feel any kicks and went in to see the doctor. No heartbeat, just as yours the cord was wrapped around the neck. We walked across the street to the hospital and they induced labor and she had the baby the following night.

For me the worst part was telling people about it. I called my relatives and they all assumed I was calling to tell them the baby was born and were all cheery and happy when they answered the phone. In the last week I've seen no less than 5 people that have come up to me to ask how my baby is doing with a huge happy smile, only to have me tell them the news.

The other thing that really sucks is having all the things in his room with his name on them. I have no idea what we are going to do with the stuff.

[Taso]

god, what a sad thread. I can't say anything tragic has ever happened in my family (excluding Nazi/WWII stuff which I wasn't alive for anyways). My grandfather died back in 2004, the doctors gave him incorrect medication or something like that, resulting in his death. Wasn't that tragic though.

Kcheel, hope everything works out and she gets better, sad story. I choked up reading a few of these.

[DanielleRB]

I am so sorry to hear about your very recent losses - I am not sure that any one person's tragedy is less painful than another - it is all perspective.

There have often been times since our son was diagnosed with his cancer that people say to me they feel guilty for complaining but the truth is all of our indidual experiences are in the context of our lives, and are all painful.

This is a sad thread in many ways, but I am still touched that I got to share my story with a group of poker players who are also citizens of humanity - we have more in common than not.

In hope!

[Number7]

My healthy fit an active father, had a routine surgery at the age of 48 and the doctors mistreated him/made a mistake.
He had to be in bed and my sister and I had to take care of him on shift cause he could not walk without getting sick, he had to lay down all the time.
It took half a year til he was able to go around on his own again, not neediing help.
Now 5 years later he still suffers greatly from it, have to work part time, not able to play the same amount of sports, and problems with his blood pressure.

On the good side he did win a lawsuit giving him like 150.000 $ for hurt and loss of sallary, he also get paid full time for his parttime job, so he does not suffer finacial for it, but suffers still, and prob rest of his life for other peoples mistakes.

Then i know 2 guys who killed them self, one i went to school with (age 16) and one i played soccer with (age 19) they were not close to me, but used to see them, and talk to them regularly, due to them not being that close to me, i did not suffer but makes me think alot. There family members who i see from time to time, and some of my friends who were close to them.

[gobbomom]

incredibly sad thread. My heart goes out to all of you. I've had bad, sad things happen, but some of yours are almost devastating. I hope that these are the worst things you'll ever have to face and that your lives are never again touched by such tragedy.