Sunday, April 29, 2012

Today's WTF: Saving a Life on Facebook

The internet is a powerful thing.  Disconnected people come together and feel connected.   At the same time, people are disconnecting from their real lives to connect with friends they make on Facebook. 

I have a Facebook page that over 12,500 people like.  Sometimes they are known as "fans" or "followers."  I back away from those terms because I am neither a celebrity nor a leader.   I just say “likers” with ironic air quotes and leave it at that.  Mostly I see they are people who enjoy my humor and maybe recognize themselves in some of what I joke about.  It is ridiculously gratifying and I take enormous pride in how witty they see me.  I’m kind of a big deal.  On the internet to people I don’t know, but it feels like I do.   So much so that I feel comfortable enough to bare my very soul in some very personal writing.  

When Timeline came around, I said I was worried about the "message page" feature.  I was all worried that the Nutjobs would be messaging me to send them bales of hay in FarmVille  or to read their poetry or promote their video of a canary tap dancing across their sleeping dog or whateverthefuck thing they need me to do.  


“So, just turn it off,” said my page admin friends.  If I turned the messaging feature off, I might keep the bombardment at bay.  And I do turn the feature off, sometimes.  Sometimes I get crap from people who probably don’t even realize how what they are saying sounds.   I have to shut that out.  My tough talk is just an act.  I’m a very fragile Nutjob who can read criticism into the morning weather report.  


But what I came to tell you is this: I saved a life on Facebook!   I can’t believe my restraint.  I waited *five* paragraphs to get to the only thing I wanted to say.  I fucking *saved* a life on Facebook.  A woman was sick and hurting and alone and maybe going to hurt herself.    I chatted with her for a bit, but she started getting vague and scary.  I didn’t know what might happen.  So I fucking looked up Emergency Services in her town and fucking called them up.  I said “This is going to sound really weird but there is a woman in your town and she is sick and she gave me her address and I am a time zone away but I wonder if you would go check on her.”  And of course they wanted to know all kinds of things like who I was and how did I know her and why did I think this was happening and I just said, “I’ll be happy to chat with you while you drive to her house, but really, don’t you think you should hang up now and head on over?”  Then I hung up and chewed my nails and wondered what to do next.  But it was late and I have to take care of myself too so I took my head meds and went to bed.

When I woke up the next morning, I wanted to know what had happened but at the same time I didn’t.   I just kept my fingers crossed that if she really needed help, she was able to get it.  I didn’t want to think about any alternatives, including the one where she was totally fine and maybe now a little irritated with me for getting all dramatic.  I didn’t really know what to think.  

Then my cell phone rang and I didn’t recognize the number.  I just picked it up and said my name in my usual business-like manner.  There was silence for a moment, then a voice began speaking.  It was the woman I had phoned the night before, the dispatcher from emergency services.  She wanted to let me know that they *did* go out to that woman's place to check on her, and she *had* been in trouble and alone and they *had* brought her in and she was okay now in the hospital.  She would be going home in a day or so.  She didn’t want to talk to me, but she wanted the staff to make sure I knew and to thank me.  

“How do you know her, again?”  The woman seemed incredulous at the way the whole evening had gone down.  “You’ve never really met, but you have a blog and run a page on Facebook and this woman reached out to you and you phoned us from another state?”  She kept repeating these phrases and I could see her in my mind, shaking her damn head as she thought about it.  “That is really amazing.”  I agreed.  I was shaking my own damn head and getting chills at the thought of what would have happened had I not pushed past my fears and called.  I saved a life.  My page and I. Saved. A. Life. 

I am blinking back tears as I type this.  You never know the effect you can have on people.  It is a blessing and a curse and a huge responsibility.  I cannot do this every day.  I have to turn the message feature off.  I simply cannot handle it.   Because we joke about it a lot on my page, my whole Ron Burgundy shtick, “I’m kind of a big deal.”  But goddamnit.  I guess I really am.  How great and terrifying and tear-inducing is that?  

Namaste, bitches.  We out.  With more love that you can possibly imagine.  For all of you bat-shit crazy Nutjobs.  Take care of yourselves.  Be good to one another.  <Imagine me ruffling your hair as I squeeze you so tight it might make it difficult to breathe>  Now get out of here.  Goddamnit.

23 comments:

  1. WOW.....that is AWESOME!!!....It is good to know there are still people like you in the world, most people would have just dismissed her cries for help and said..."What can I do? I am not even in the same state as her"...KUDOS to you for caring :)

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  2. You are kind of a big deal. That's an incredible story.

    I wanted to message you to tell you something I didn't want to share publicly, so I'll have to keep an eye out in case that "message" feature pops back up on your page.

    Namaste.

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    1. I hope it's not too late. That feature is up for now. Get it while you can. Oh yeah.

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  3. Wow that was amazing. I once read a similar thing on facebook but it had all gone horribly wrong with people jumping in and saying this woman was "attention seeking" blah blah, if it had been me I would do the same as you because you just never know, and it's better to be safe than sorry and regret not doing something. Well done!!!

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  4. This is fan-fucking-tastic! Too awesome for words. Great job you did in helping this woman TKC!

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  5. Holy shit, thats awesome! What a great story! Well done lady! :)

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  6. That is so awesome! I haven't directly done something like that but my Secrets page has helped connect people to the right resources and I've gotten emails thanking me for helping them :) It does feel good, huh? Much love to ya! <3

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  7. I can empathize with you. I did the same thing. A woman in one of my support groups decided to take a bunch of Klonopin(! Love that drug!)and wash it down with a bottle of vodka. Not smart. I had to look up the number of the EMS in her town, once I finally convinced her to give me her address. That was on a Tuesday. The Friday of that week I had to do another intervention. My best friend's mother had a psychotic break and he did not want to be blamed for putting her into the hospital. She is a bitch that way. Finally, she threw a glass of water in a policeman's face, and was summarily arrested and sent to the hospital. The emotional toll on me was great and I ended up dealing with a month-long depression. Fucking emotional vampires. At least both were grateful in the end.
    You do great things, whether or not you are told that. I have learned much from you. Thanks.
    Peace be with you,
    Zen Daddy T

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  8. Dammit! You know my hair gets all static-y when you do that! :-)

    This is amazing and you are a big deal. Much love and peace to you.

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  9. And to think, we met when you were at liker number 374 or something.
    Rock on, Klonnie. You matter to so many, and we're here for you, too. XoXoX

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  10. I remember this night. I am glad that you sent help to her. Love you Mo ghrá.. you've always been a big deal to me. <3

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  11. You are definitely a big deal. GREAT JOB!!!! much love to you!!! <3<3<3

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  12. oh my god!!! you are AH-MAY-ZING! Seriously worthy of celebrity/leader status!

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  13. What do you mean, you're KIND OF a big deal? You're awesome, and THAT, what you did there, was very brave and perfect. I don't even know how to pronounce "Namaste" in real life... But I know what it means...
    Rcok ON TKC... Rock ON!

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  14. Hey you are awesome!!! Ugh, yep Susan here..... I guess you may or may not remember my long manic ramble to you. Afterward, I thought to myself, why did I do that to another person? Bust out with all my crazy shit? You told me to "stop, It's all okay". I thought wow, this amazing woman responded to me.

    I think I did it, because I felt connected to you. You understand what it means to be bi-polar. The way you write is so heartfelt. We share the same illness & maybe most of the same meds. Who knows, maybe we met in a psych ward somewhere? I am just kidding, well I wouldn't remember you anyway because of ECT. I guess that's not a very funny thing to write. Also, I went and let out all my fuckery on your facebook. And it was okay. Klonopin, how funny, my drug of choice, which I have been to hell and back with, another story. But I sincerely hope that somewhere along the way I got to know someone like you. I will always be your admiring fan from afar. XO

    I have my problems, and you are working to keep yourself going with your own problems. It's a huge, huge, burden to get a message from someone who needs help, and there is not a damn thing you can do about it but pray. I myself carry around a burden of a life lost because I just didn't know she was in trouble until it was too late. That was 27 years ago and I still question myself.

    I think turning off the message feature is a good thing to do, for your own mental health. You can't have this huge weight on your shoulders worrying about people all over the country/world. You did save a life, which is a blessing,and a miracle. I can't imagine the anxiety you would have experienced if you had never found out if that person was ok or not.

    Babe, you did a brave and honest thing today. It's a good thing to take care of yourself. You need to do that above all else. And, I promise I will not worry about what I wrote here. : P

    Namaste, Susan

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  15. Crying as I type this. Wow. That's really all I can say right now. And how lucky that woman was to have you. And how because of your own disorder you were able to recognize warning signs.

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  16. I love this! You never know who you will touch and in what way on here. Amazing, wonderful!! It's times like this one where you can say screw the trolls... I SAVED A LIFE!! Simply awesome!

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  17. I am the one you saved. Thank you, Klonnie. <3

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    1. Hi Robin -- I'm so glad you are still here. I think about you all the time. <3

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  18. I think you had your Klonnie-sense tingling from experience. This roller coaster ride prepares you for intuiting when others are about to fall out...

    & good job :)

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