My son has asked me to post this.
Yesterday we lost one of our own,my friend and a true latics fan.Tom Gallagher aged 20yrs died, so sleep well mate god bless
So young its tragic ! Puts our little squabbles on here into perspective when someone so young is taken from us. I didnt know him but my sincere sympathy goes to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.
Aceface……………..condolences to the family but also to your son. First of all, by asking that you (an obvious friend, dad and confidante) to publish this on the forum shows that he too is grieving. It’s not true that such tragic things as this affect only the deceased, indeed those who are left behind will typically go through a number of stages as they too grieve – denial, anger, guilt and confusion; it will also include a protective wish to prove death was accidental, and, perhaps, depression and anxiety were parts brought into play.
We live in ‘testing’ times….more so (in my opinion) than the 30’s and post ‘Second Great War’ – it’s a four minute cauldron with deep demands – these then lead to social isolation…. unemployment…alcoholism….depression and the usual (and oh too familiar) drug abuse/dependency.
Your son, quite rightly, has highlighted to us that young men (more than women) are vulnerable – regardless of the outward bravado and do need protecting too. Give your lad a hug (manhug) and cherish his thoughtfulness – but – more importantly, encourage him to support those who lived around his friend, to be strong, to grieve and help them grieve…….with support and empathy.
Tom may have gone, but there are still lots of people who loved him left around.
Aceface……………..condolences to the family but also to your son. First of all, by asking that you (an obvious friend, dad and confidante) to publish this on the forum shows that he too is grieving. It’s not true that such tragic things as this affect only the deceased, indeed those who are left behind will typically go through a number of stages as they too grieve – denial, anger, guilt and confusion; it will also include a protective wish to prove death was accidental, and, perhaps, depression and anxiety were parts brought into play.
We live in ‘testing’ times….more so (in my opinion) than the 30’s and post ‘Second Great War’ – it’s a four minute cauldron with deep demands – these then lead to social isolation…. unemployment…alcoholism….depression and the usual (and oh too familiar) drug abuse/dependency.
Your son, quite rightly, has highlighted to us that young men (more than women) are vulnerable – regardless of the outward bravado and do need protecting too. Give your lad a hug (manhug) and cherish his thoughtfulness – but – more importantly, encourage him to support those who lived around his friend, to be strong, to grieve and help them grieve…….with support and empathy.
Tom may have gone, but there are still lots of people who loved him left around.