The End

Now we all know more about Walter Payton, from his stats in football, to his fighting cancer, to his family, and foundations in memory of him.  What to take from this blog is that just because they were an icon/hero in a certain sport doesn't mean thats all who they are or were, you learn alot about a person by looking into who they are or were.  Walter is making a difference with his legacy, little boys will continue to look up to him in football, people fighting cancer will look up to him for hope and faith, and hopefully families can look at how he was a family man no matter what he took on or how busy he was he had time for the people who matter most.  Today in life all we care about is the "American Dream" we forget that little things mean the most, money can't buy happiness, tomorrow is gauranteed, either are the people around you.  The main thing i've learned from Walter is live each day as if its your last!

How to cope/deal with the loss of a loved one

I know all I talk about in my blog is about Walter, but what about his family.  When someone/ a loved one is lost, it's the family that you have to pray for and think about.  His wife lost a husband and best friend, his children lost their hero and their father, It's the worst feeling a person can feel, I know because i've lost my Step Dad, who was a best friend I could run to, a hero, and father.  Where do you go from rock bottom? 

According to helpguide.org Grieving is a personal and highly individual experience. How you grieve depends on many factors, including your personality and coping style, your life experience, your faith, and the nature of the loss. The grieving process takes time. Healing happens gradually; it can’t be forced or hurried and there is no normal time for grieving.  Some people may feel better in weeks to months, and some it takes years.
Some Myths about grieving:
Myth:If you ignore it, it will go away
Fact:  If you ignore it, it will only become worse
Myth:It's important to be strong in the face of others
Fact: feeling frightened or lonely is a normal reaction to loss
Myth:If you don't cry it means your not sorry for the loss
Fact: Crying is a normal response to sadness, but its not the only one, if a person doesn't cry they may have another way of showng their sadenss.
Myth:Grief should last about a year
Fact: There is no right time frame for grieving

According to psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

The five stages of grief:

• Denial: “This can’t be happening to me.”
• Anger: “Why is this happening? Who is to blame?”
• Bargaining: “Make this not happen, and in return I will ____.”
• Depression: “I’m too sad to do anything.”
• Acceptance: “I’m at peace with what happened.”

Some signs you might need professional help

• Feel like life isn’t worth living
• Wish you had died with your loved one
• Blame yourself for the loss or for failing to prevent it
• Feel numb and disconnected from others for more than a few weeks
• Are having difficulty trusting others since your loss
• Are unable to perform your normal daily activities

Theres always therapists you can goto at a hospital or clinic, or in school.  But if you don't feel comfortable talking about your problems with someone face to face there are hotlines you can call.
1-800-SUICIDE
1-800-448-3000
1-800-445-4808

And heres a website with a whole list of them if you'd like to check it out
http://healthhotlines.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/hotlines/FindOrg?IndexString=Suicide

Information on the cancer that took Paytons life.

Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis was the cancer that took Paytons life.  It spread so fast outside of his liver that he could no longer proceed with receiving a liver transplant.

What is Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis?  It is a disease of the bile ducts in your liver.  It is a progressive disease that leads to liver damage and will eventually cause liver failure.  Liver transplan is an option which is the only known cure for primary sclerosing cholangitis, but this transplant is normally reserved for people with severe liver damage, which in Paytons case it was too severe where he could no lonfer receive it.  (This information on the disease is found at MayoClinic.com )

Payton wasn't the type to treat this like it was a disease that was killing him, he was living each day as if it was his last, not letting the cancer win his last few days of life over.  He didn't want to talk about it, he just wanted to live his life.  The more and more I do research on Payton i've come to realize how much of an amazing guy he really was.  I grew up looking at him as an icon/hero/romodel.  But hes all that and then some, his view on life should be how everyone sees it.  Everyone is worried about the car they can't afford, their house payment they might not make, the wanting of a new outfit, worrying if they look good, plastic surgery, but the only thing Payton cared for was his family,friends, and team, and didn't care about superficial items.