Gone But Not Forgotten-Princess Diana

          She is gone but not forgotten, the fair princess; Lady Diana Spencer.  It has been 11 years since her death in a car accident in Paris. Her youth, her beauty, her energy has been frozen in time through the photos we view.  So much has happened since that time.  Her beloved boys have grown up, her ex-husband Prince Charles has remarried Diana’s nemesis, the world has continued to move onward. 

           Still, no one has ever been able to take Diana’s place of purchase in the hearts of the public who loved her so.  She who was able to accomplish so much in so little time here on the Earth.  Can you imagine how much more she would have been able to do in a world full of hurts because of her ability to leverage her legacy?  She set a great role model with the work that she did for charities…that does not have to end.  People can follow her example and achieve much in the world, through donating time and money to those in need.  So we remember her today…full of smiles, and a heart that bent towards those in need, those who suffered, and those who were meant to overcome.  How can you be a light in the world?

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Real Life Situation-3 year old Home Alone

        A family from Israel made news over night by leaving their three year old at the airport.  Remember the old movie, Home Alone, where the parents are bustling around trying to catch an airplane with all of their children and belongings?  Well, this case seems to mimic the movie to a degree.

         The family was running behind trying to catch a plane to Paris for a vacation.  The parents and their five children were hustling, they made it…well, most of them anyway.   Eighteen pieces of luggage and four of the five children boarded with the parents; the fifth child was left behind without the parents realizing it.  She had to be full of fear.  A little over half of an hour into their flight they were informed by an airline employee that they left their three year old daughter at the Ben Gurion airport in Israel. 

         I can’t begin to imagine the terror of that.  Anytime i leave home for an extended period of time…i torture myself going over the thousands of things that i imagine that  have been forgotten!  Their daughter was found by a policeman; but, it was too late…the parents and siblings had left on the plane.

       The family reunited when an airline employee and the child took another plane to Paris.  No doubt that when they return the family members will be questioned about the incident…they could even face charges of neglect or abandonment. As long as it was an accident and not a purposeful child endangerment; hopefully, further trauma will be avoided by not pressing charges. Thank God the child is safe.  I would imagine that when they fly home they will have some sort of safety, buddy system procedure in place to prevent another terribly scary incident.

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Excuse Me, I Am Still Using That Body Part!

         This incident had to be a little shocking for the people involved; a 45 year old man from Paris, France had a massive heart attack.  His heart had stopped working for over an hour and a half. 

          It appears that emergency personel tried to revive him but wasn’t having great results.  They sent him on to a hospital where they continued the effort only to decide he was gone.  Then, just as he was being prepped for an organ donation…his heart began to jump back into action.  What a surprise for the surgeons involved in prepping him for the organ donation procedure!  It was a miracle for the 45 year old man; sad for those on the waiting list for the donated organs, though.

         Organ donation is a wonderful thing…it has the power to save and improve the lives of so many people.  However, i think people do actually get concerned about how the medical profession decides that a person is truly dead, before they proceed with retrieving an organ from a donor. 

        If a person has decided to become an organ donor; the best thing they can do is document it and make sure that the next of kin is aware of their wishes.  If a person has strong feelings on the matter, it is very important that they make it clear to family and friends about their decision; relieving the next of kin from the stress of having to make that decision.  www.organdonor.gov/ or www.organtransplants.org/ or www.donatelife.net/ .  

        There are those who argue about the ethics involved in organ donation; waiting lists, costs, black market organs, testing of the health of the donors, safety of medical flight transportation of organs; and some of those arguments are valid…however, no-one can deny the impact on the lives of those who give and those who receive.  There are complex layers of emotions involved.

        I think that when people consider organ donation, this is one of the biggest fears that they face…what if they aren’t really dead?  I am sure there is a definate protocol involved to insure that this kind of situation is avoided; however, in this case, i sort of imagined myself in that situation with my slightly twisted sense of humor.

        I can just see it; coming to on the surgery table…saying, “Excuse me, don’t touch that.   I still have a need for that particular body part!”  LOL  

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Princess Diana-the $6 Million Dollar Woman

     Today’s announcement that Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed were “unlawfully killed” because of the actions of her driver and the paparazzi photographers who were chasing them through the streets of Paris makes her the $6 Million Dollar Woman.  This is the amount of money the inquest cost, only to tell us what we already knew.  If not for the actions of others, Princess Diana would not have died in such a manner.

       The world was waiting to hear if any proof had been uncovered about rumors of palace intrigue, murder allegations, engagement, and pregnancy, during the inquest.  In the end, all that was said was that there was no proof; and, that what was known was that the driver was drinking and that Dodi and Princess Diana were unlawfully killed; which is on the level of manslaughter in charges…the highest verdict allowed. 

       Will this verdict change people’s feeling that there is more to the story?  Probably not.  But still, in reality, no amount of hearings and inquests can change the fact that three people died because of a lack of control.  The driver because he did not have proper control of the vehicle due to the drinks that he had on that evening in question; and, the lack of control regarding the press/paparazzi’s disregard for the value of human life and proper boundaries. 

        In 2002, five short years after the death of these three people; nine photographers, who had been charged in France, were let off from charges of manslaughter because the charges were thrown out. 

         In 2006, three photographers were charged and convicted for invasion of privacy for taking pictures of Diana and Dodi.  This is small consolation as it does not bring them back to life, nor does it seem to hinder those paparazzi around the world who seem to think it appropriate to chase people with beauty/fame/fortune just to snap a picture to make money for themselves…no matter what the cost to others!  

          The unlawful killing of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed as well as driver Henri Paul robbed the world.  There isn’t much known publically about Henri Paul.  But, Princess Diana did much with her charitable works.  Dodi Fayed whether he was indeed her fiancee or not…had great wealth at his disposal.  Who knows what they would have done with their lives had they been given the opportunity to live on. 

        So, let’s all remember that when standing in the grocery line and temptation beckons to purchase and support the latest rag plastered with pictures of the rich and famous at their best and at their worst.  Don’t contribute to the mindset of devaluing human life by purchasing those papers.  It only allows those who make their living off of the habit of chasing and snapping pictures of people who dont want them to.

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