A Brave Obituary

I know a woman who, when her adult son died, included the cause of death in his obituary. It was alcoholism. I’ve never seen anyone do that. Alcoholism can be an embarrassment. People are critical. People are judgmental. Families are probably more likely to whisper about it instead of publicly noting it but she came right out and basically said in print………….this is why my son died at an early age. Her son was an intelligent man who was a professor at a university and had been married successfully for many years. He led an active outdoor life. Camping. Whitewater river rafting. Cycling. Rock climbing. He was a gourmet cook. When I asked his mother about putting his actual cause of death in both the online and print obituaries, she said she and her son’s wife had decided it was the right thing to do. They wanted his students to know that as upscale and mainstream as this man appeared to be, he had an insidious disease that he hadn’t been able to control. They thought it was important that his students be aware of his situation and realize it’s something that’s not necessarily apparent. There’s a lot of alcoholism in my biological family but as far as I know it’s never been addressed publicly like that. And when I remember how that woman was so up-front about her son’s cause of death, I think…………..such bravery. That much honesty couldn’t have been easy.