RIP Sgt. Daniel Somers

For information about his suicide, please visit here.

Veteran Daniel Somers came home from Iraq and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, along with traumatic brain injury, PTSD, Gulf War Syndrome, and other health problems. He committed suicide on June 10, 2013.

From the above link:

"My body has become nothing but a cage, a source of pain and constant problems. The illness I have has caused me pain that not even the strongest medicines could dull, and there is no cure," Somers wrote in his note.

"All day, every day a screaming agony in every nerve ending in my body. It is nothing short of torture. My mind is a wasteland, filled with visions of incredible horror, unceasing depression, and crippling anxiety."

It's so sad that these conditions have not been researched further, but I'm thankful they are paying more attention to them. So much is unknown, so it's so hard to treat the patients!

That quote struck me hard. I feel that way every single day. I've always been bright, with my head always in books... But now I can't focus on anything. I had to drop out of college, 3 semesters away from my BA in Sociology (to do patient advocacy, preferably). I've spent the past three years living in my parents' house, unable to work or go back to school. I'm losing my mind!

I really hope this will help bring attention to conditions that they don't know how to treat correctly...

I'm praying for all of Sgt. Daniel Somers' family and friends. I cannot imagine what you are going through, and that's exactly why I'm still here. I'm scared that things will get to that point for me... Thank you for releasing his note to help bring attention to this!

Sgt. Daniel Somers was a veteran of the Iraq war and completed over 400 combat missions. It's so sad that such a distinguished man and his family had to go through this. I feel the need to link to his suicide note, as it was published with his family's permission.

Stories like this are EXACTLY the reason I want to become a patient advocate and help others who suffer from pain conditions or other conditions that are so hard for healthy people to understand. When I was 14 and diagnosed with fibromyalgia, or 16 and told I was permanently disabled by my doctor, I wish I had someone to talk to that -actually- understood fibromyalgia. I want to help people like that.