I’m delighted. Last week, beloved Boston Red Sox commentator, Jerry (“Remdog”) Remy spoke “on air” about living with chronic illness. Explaining to Boston fans that lung cancer (treated last fall) was tough, he said it’s depression that’s keeping him from working since April. What followed was a frank a description about what it’s like to struggle with the debilitating aspects of disease.
We all, and particularly healthy people, need to hear that even strong and successful former baseball players, can become physically or mentally sick. And it’s not something that you can snap out of or will away.
People living with invisible illness, particularly ones that carry stigma such as depression, fear that co-workers will find out about their disease. One of of my chronic illness career coaching clients, took a one month sick leave due to depression. She’d been at her job for 15 years and was in line for Sr. VP of Sales. One year after she returned, she left because she couldn’t take the snide comments and being passed over for the next job. She couldn’t prove any of it but she believed it was there.
That’s why most people don’t want to deal with the fall-out that often comes when others know. They know they could be marginalized or worse, lose their jobs.
I can’t help but hope that when a “guy’s guy” like Jerry Remy speaks about being “unable to get out of bed in the morning”, folks will understand that this is just part of who he is. It’s not the whole picture. And with luck — and using the solid parts of who he is — he’ll be able to return to work when he’s better. He remarked that the experience was therapeutic for him. Talking is good therapy!
The Boston Globe wrote that perhaps this will encourage more people to get the treatment they need for depression. I, for one, hope it encourages more supportive responses when people do talk about it.
How about you? Do you have any bad or good stories to share about disclosure in “public” or work?
Christina Gombar says
Here’s a good story: Rocco Baldelli, star pitcher, formerly with the Tampa Rays, came down with a mysterious chronic illness a few years back which he now identifies as “mitochondrial illness” — and which sounds exactly like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He spent a lot of time on the DL — but when he was picked up by the Boston Red Sox (which is a great thing, as he’s a New England native) — his new managers allowed him a schedule to allow him recovery time from games. He has performed superbly. I’m glad that someone showed the world that if managed properly, a chronically ill person can be not only a team player, but a standout.
A very sad story about someone whose chronic illness wasn’t recognized — a 36-year old woman in my town, registered nurse, school volunteer and to all outward appearances a normal, almost over-concientious Mom, killed her daughter — for not taking a bath. “I could not protect my daughter from myself,” she said after the tragedy. Indicating that she knew she was mentally ill — it appears with an obsessive compulsive disorder around cleanliness — but struggled with it on her own.
Rosalind says
I wrote about Rocco Baldelli last winter when the Sox signed him Rocco or the Ram http://workingwithchronicillness.com/2009/01/rocco-or-the-ram-which-are-you/. Iplan to write another at the end of the season. Agree this deserves “award” for working with illness!
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