Royals and Monarchs - Royal Blog: December 2012

Photo credit: Zap2it

In a tragic and shocking turn of events, a nurse who transferred a prank call from two Australian DJs about Kate Middleton killed herself, according to the Daily Mail.

The body of Jacintha Saldanha, a mother of two, was discovered today near King Edward VII hospital, where Kate had been treated for her severe morning sickness. Jacintha was on switchboard duty early Wednesday morning when Australian DJ Mel Greig, impersonating Queen Elizabeth II, called the hospital asking to speak to Kate. According to a hospital statement, Jacintha had not been reprimanded for her unintentional mistake, but instead had been receiving support from the hospital.

Through an official statement, Kate and William expressed their deep sadness at the news. Chief Executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Dr. Peter Carter, said “it is deeply saddening that a simple human error due to a cruel hoax could lead to the death of a dedicated and caring member of the nursing profession.”

I have several thoughts, which I would kindly like to share with you:
1. Suicide is never the answer. No matter the situation in which one finds themselves, suicide is a permanent answer to a temporary problem. No patient, no matter how important they were, was worth taking her own life over. A life has been prematurely cut down, and the manner of her death makes her family’s grieving process that much more intense.

Anyone who is suicidal can receive immediate help by logging onto Suicide.org or by calling 1-800-SUICIDE (in the United States). Suicide is preventable, and if you are feeling suicidal, you must get help. So please visit Suicide.org or call 1-800-SUICIDE immediately.

2. I wonder what else was going on in Jacintha’s life that caused her to make that drastic decision. Was she depressed, for example? Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide.

3. Everybody’s actions have consequences, both intentional and unintentional. When Mel Greig and Michael Christian picked up the phone in Sydney to place their prank, they could not have imagined the dire consequences their actions would have.

4. Although the hospital officially supported Jacintha, was she experiencing intense backlash and fallout behind the scenes?

5. The media's obsession with and aggressiveness towards Kate and William has really gone into overdrive since her pregnancy was announced, all in an effort to increase ratings, boost newspaper circulations, and website clicks. To quote royal blogger Marilyn Braun:

"In the months to come we will get medical reports, we will hear about Kate's stylish maternity fashions, the effect of the pregnancy on her physical appearance will be used to predict the sex. Is she carrying high or low? Will she have a home birth? Cesarean? Natural childbirth? Will William be present at the birth or will duty call him away? Will she breastfeed? (Cue the disapproving experts if she doesn't) How will she decorate the nursery? Will she suffer from postnatal depression? Not to mention the speculation about royal baby's future name and title. Mark my words, every angle of this pregnancy will be wrung for all it is worth."

May Jacintha's soul rest in peace.

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