I'm working on the NAMI Lubbock website right now concerning this issue. What a shame. Erin's boss at the A-J was one of her sister's. It was a suicide. She had type I bi-polar and lost her job (thus her benefits) in December.
She tried desparately to hold on as she was going have her first appointment with MHMR on Thursday. She just couldn't do it anymore. I never met Tina, but at the same time, I know her story. In the line of "service" that I feel I have been called to (as well as many of you that are receiving this e-mail), it's a story one that is unfortunately a dime a dozen.
The even more unfortunate part is that fact that Ms. Pollard's life will forever be known to the general public as the below few lines; a life that was abruptly ended by a diesease so misunderstood by so many around her. But personally, what makes me even more upset is how the media reports on deaths of the mentally ill. A murder by suicide is no story at all for them especially if the person was "crazy," but if the person was "crazy" and it was murder by homicide, than tradition has it that it's wrecklessly splashed all over the news. You all know exactly what I mean; very few facts, alot of myths, no dignity for the individual whatsoever or separation of illness and individual.
Well, here's a fact for ya'll - over the years, several studies have concluded that a person with a serious mental illness is at a much higher risk of hurting themsevles than hurting others reporting a ratio of a least 9 to 1. Due to the Andrea Yates, Dena Schlosser, and here in Lubbock cases Bradley Calvery, uneducated society automatically thinks that the mentally ill inhumane, mutant misfts that one day just all of a sudden go rogue and kill someone(s) or themselves. Of course, we know that this is simply not the case and that there are reasons why this happens.
Once again, my heart goes out to the Pollard/Shelby family. We will be avaliable for them if needed. In fact, we have already received one or two calls from them as they prepared for the funeral which was today.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 2:04 PM
Subject: {Disarmed} Tina Pollard
Tina Pollard
Service for Tina Pollard, 50, of Lubbock, will be at 2 p.m. today at St. Luke's United Methodist, with Will Cotton officiating.
She died on April 10, 2006. She was born March 10, 1956 in Abilene to William H. and Joan Howk Shelby. She worked at the Lubbock Avalanche Journal for ten years, West Texas Relay, and Cingular Wireless. She was a graduate of Coronado High School. Tina loved arts and crafts, children, and animals.
She is preceded in death by her mother, Joan Shelby.
Survivors include one daughter, Robin Pollard; father, Bill Shelby; three sisters, Sylvia Covington and Joanna Vail of Lubbock, and Linda Schweickert of Colorado; one brother, Paul Shelby of Lubbock; three nieces, one nephew, four great nephews, and two great nieces.
The family suggests memorials to N.A.M.I. or charity of your choice.
document.write("Send Flowers to this Funeral"); Send Flowers to this Funeral
Erin L. Graham
CAD Tech. Specialist
AT&T Engineering
(806) 741-6101
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