Carol Gotbaum’s story is a tragic one… She was mother to three children under 7 who suffered from severe depression and alcoholism… While on her way to a residential treatment center in Arizona, she died while in airport police custody.
Judith Warner’s NY Times blog looks at the lack of kindness and understanding showed to Carol during the last hours of her life… And I heartily agree that her death was completely preventable…
However, I think what was lacking was an understanding of her desperation… a desperation some of us feel occasionally (to a greater or lesser degree)… which culminated in her untimely death..
This one’s for you Carol (and all of us taking the long way)


Hi Redsy,
Nice blog you have here. I followed a few links and found it yesterday and have bookmarked it so that I can read it at length at a less busy time.
I’d appreciate it if you could contact me in regards to something I noticed while surfing through to Strollerby. The email address that I left in the info section above will find me.
Thanks in advance,
Hilary