Christmas Cruise Victim Death may be Suicide

I was watching The Today show this morning and they said that the woman (Jennifer Ellis-Seitz) *****cently went missing from a Noregian Cruiseline in Mexico may be a victim of suicide. They said she had a long history of obesity and had gastric bypass surgery and plastic surgery (in 2002) but was still depressed about how her body looked.

While these are only prelimary reports, it should make us all take a deep look at ourselves and try to love ourselves no matter where we are on our journey. Many people suffer from chronic depression and no matter what their body looks like it will never be good enough. If Jennifer's death is a result of suicide, my heart aches for this young woman of 36 and her family. She had her whole life ahead of her with a new job and she was celebrating her first anniversay.

Although my body doesn't look the way I would like it to, I love my new body even with the saggy skin on the bottom and scars on the top from my recent plastic surgery. Embrace wherever you and however your body looks. I'm actually happy that I will have some visible scars because I certainly have the internal scars from a lifetime of suffering from obesity and roller coaster dieting. Have a Happy and Safey New Years!

Kathie

So many times we think how happy we would be if we just lost a little weight and looked great.  While the weight loss does help us physically, we still see ourselves as less then perfect.  Of course we all know NO ONE is perfect, and we all have problems that weight loss cannot correct or control.  I think some (perhaps all of us ladies anyway) always see the grass as greener on the other side.  Instead of being happy with what we have, we always want more.  Its our human nature.  How is this tying in with the possible suicide?  We have to realize early on in our process that being thinner and healthier will not bring happiness.  If we are depressed as obese people we probably will still be depressed as thinner people.  If we are unhappily married while obese, being thinner won't help anything.  It's like trying to have a baby to save the marriage.  Of course thru the process we change, or do we?  physically yes.  Mentally?  I feel more like ME now then I have for years.  Attitudes change but do we in our innermost centers change?  I think we become MORE of who we are in this journey.  We have to grow and exand as our bodies shrink, and we have to learn to love ourselves all over again, or for the first time ever!  It's gut surgery, not brain surgery.  I feel badly for this lady that she felt she had nothing to live for,  How sad. 
Amen Sister Kathie!  Safe and happy New Year to us all! 

It's like trying to have a baby to save the marriage. 


Excellent analogy.

My heart is breaking for the family of this young woman. What a tragic story.

I wish she would have seeked out professional help for this issue if in deed it was a suicide. There is so much to live for.

I am so happy with my weight loss. I could use a little plastics but I am overall very pleased. My boyfriend loves me just the way I am. Like he says he doesn't look like he used to either. He constantly compliments me. He makes me feel so good about myself.

Thanks for posting this. It makes me think.

Hugs....connie d

Aloha Kathie......I have followed this story as well. I am not so sure it was suicide. Having been a clinical psychologist for many years, I saw a very BIG RED FLAG to the husband's having been arrested for domestic assault on this poor woman. That sure made made doubt the suicide angle...but maybe it's just me. Everything is a part of the puzzle....and that fact is a BIG one, not to be ignored.

Bariatric surgery changes our lives so dramatically and can have different effects on each of us. So often it seems that therapy should go hand in hand with WLS for so many. If that is the case with this young woman, I feel deeply saddened that she didn't find that kind of help along the way.

Thanks for bringing up this very important topic.

Aloha nui loa,

Maui Karen

Worse, she is, in fact, family. One of us. Her WLS was 2001-02. She lost well, did the plastics, brilliant, good career, ray of sun in the room.

We can never see what is below the surface. I met her in 2003 & 2005.