Topic : 01/19 Follow-ups

I have been asking the save questions but no one will answer. People will answer the boycott items but will not when it comes to the adult escorts on the trip. I did hear one thing that was said regarding the adults and that was that were there only for Passport problens and lost luggage. What a crop of bull. I do not think many of the students, if any, had passports and as far as  lost luggage is not an issue. The adults enjoyed the trip and did not look after the students.If it were me I would be looking at the adults with the students for answers and suing  them for letting the incident  happen. It was also said that one of the students knew Natalee whs not in at 5:30am. Were the adults notifed and if so what did they do or did they miss her in the hotel lobby when the tour buss picked up  group up at the hotel  for the trip to the airport? 

Who is not telling all of the story the Arubas or the Senior Grad Group including the adult escorts. 

I guess you keep you two daughters in the house and not allowed to out. I think you would be worried if they were going to be kidnapped in your own city. The Holloways do not want to answer questions regarding the escorts. Is this fair to Aruba. Boycott Aruba that means there are less drunk adults and teenagers from the U.S. when I am on island for two to three months of the year. 

I also guess that every one in the states who suggest boycotting Aruba don't realize that the U.S. is only a small quanity of tourist. The flights from the U.S. including Charter are out numbered by foregin carriers. 

The Arubian police have just about as much trouble with Americans as they do with the illegals from South America. 

Doctor Phil. I think you have a good tast since yesterday. Your show is good and desver a hand shake when ever you are in Denver, Colorado Metropolitan Area. About your Doctor Phil Found- 

ation I cannot donate at all but I wish you luck.  Well I had better close now now. Sincerley Your. 

Russell Vlaanderen.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

I have a thyroid disorder, too, and when I heard you say your mom had a thyroid problem, I almost fell off the couch!  Thanks for elaborating on that.   I was so happy to see your mom doing better, what a nightmare that must have been for all of you.  You did the right thing, as hard as it was, and I wish you and your family all the best!  

We have been butting our heads against the wall for my son's situation also.  He is mentally ill due to crystal meth use for many years.  He was a functioning drug addict for years.  No one knew he was doing meth. He also drank and I felt too much and tried to get him to see that to do avail.  This past year when everyone around him found out he was doing meth things started to fall apart.  He has lived with a girl for several years, and she was trying to get him help for quite a while before bringing me in on his problem.  She was having domestic problems with him, and him not admitting there was a problem, etc.  I could go on and on, but the bottom line is there are no facilities that will help unless he is going to kill himself or others. 

After many weeks of being turned down for assistance, he tried to hang himself and his neighbor found him and they got him to the hospital where they finally put him into a facility, but they kept him for only 72 hours.  They want to treat him as out patient, but he can't function in the world.  How would we get him to the out patient facility regularly.  Some days is just unmanageable. 

I agree there is no help out there.  Yes he did this to himself, but so have most people with a physical or mental problem.  We have a poor lifestiyle one way or the other causing heart attacks, strokes, etc, which cause long term health care to happen, and there are places to go for that, but not Mental illness. 

Paulette Jones. 

Yes, what the heck were the adults doing?  The chaperones are there for a reason.  I would think the most stringent of their tasks would be to make sure every kid is in their room at the appointed time.  I'm assuming that parents who sign off on their children going on these trips are given some basic assurances of structure and safety, so they don't think they are letting their children run wild.   

I was so annoyed with Mr. Cohen on the show yesterday, since his sole purpose is to be spin doctor for the very people who have let so much go wrong during the past 7-8 months.  Now they're going to do "everything they can" to bring those kids to justice.  It's amazing what calling for a boycott can accomplish.  Those boys know something that they're not telling, and the fact they have been able to go on with their lives without so much as a care to what happened makes me sick.  I would also make the observation that the place where the boys met Natalie, Carlos & Charlies, should be given a second glance.  If, as rumor as it, bartenders are putting some type of drugs into the drinks of these young girls, well, do I need to say more?  If that has happened, it probably can't be proven, but I would hope that the bar has been investigated thoroughly.  Any place that depends so much on tourism needs to know what, exactly, is going on.  

Paulette, 

I know first hand how saddening and frusterating it can be to help a loved one who is suffering from a mental illness help.  DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE!  If you contact NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), they can put you in contact with other people who are in or who have gone through a similar situation as you are going through right now.  These people are resources to help you get your son where he needs to be.  Yes, there are many places for people who have cancer, heart attacks, and strokes too.  There are also alot of places for people who have mental illness too.  The name of the game is being very resourceful.  Try writing letters, keep on calling, don't take no for an answer.  It can be like fighting an uphill battle.  I cannot tell you how many nights I sat up thinking about how I might be able to get my mom help.  She was eight hours away from me and was absolutly crippled to do anything ot help herself.  Now that she is out of the psychosis, she is so thakful that I did not give up trying to help her.  Your son may feel that way to, don't give up Paulette.  You are in my prayers. 

God Bless You and your Son, 

Ann Marie 

I watched the show yesterday with Sylvia.  When Dr Phil said it was a thyroid disorder that contributed to her mental state but did not give much more information that that, it scared me!!  Most of the women in my family have a thyroid disorder and now i'm wondering if there is something about this that we need to know more about.  If anyone has more information about thyroid disease and mental illness please post.  thank you