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Wish for the best.
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@ 27-11-2004 19:26 xdr1016 | 11,731 posts
| Some of you might have heard me talking about a recent passing that my friend has gone through. I wanted to make a thread, somewhat of a guestbook I can show her that wishes her the best through this hard time. If you have any comments, or anything you would like to add, please feel free to do so. Thank you.
Here's the full story.
Bullard student killed by train
Victim of apparent suicide is identified as a 16-year-old boy.
By Pablo Lopez / The Fresno Bee
(Updated Wednesday, November 24, 2004, 10:45 AM)
The pedestrian killed by a train last week in west-central Fresno was Justin Joseph Stone, a Bullard High School student "in good standing," officials said Wednesday.
His mother, Christina Stone-Weise, said Wednesday she needs help burying her 16-year-old son and wants answers about his death.
Police say Justin committed suicide; witnesses said he put his head on the tracks near Fruit and Ashlan avenues and was struck by an Amtrak train about 4p.m. Thursday.
The Coroner's Office, however, said Justin's manner of death has not been finally determined. Results of a toxicology screening are pending.
Stone-Weise said she isn't in denial. If her son had drugs in his system, and the drugs contributed to his death, she wants to know how he got them. And if he committed suicide, she said, "I don't want his death to be for nothing." She contends many other children, including Justin's friends, need help coping with problems but are unable to get it.
"I don't want this to be swept under the rug," she said.
Justin lived with his mother and brother, Alex, 12, in an apartment across the street from the train tracks.
Inside the apartment, religious candles illuminated photographs of Justin in various stages of his life. His mother said he loved to fish, play guitar, do household chores and help his grandparents, Yvonne and Kirk McCarty of Oakhurst. He had dreams of joining the military to earn money for college. But he also had mental health issues that his mother said she couldn't address with her paycheck. "I have Medi-Cal," she said, of the state-federal insurance program for the low-income.
Because many private mental health providers don't honor Medi-Cal, Stone-Weise sought help for her son in Fresno County's mental health system, but she couldn't get immediate assistance because it was determined that he didn't have a serious disorder.
Curtis Thornton, chairman of the Fresno County Mental Health Board, said he didn't know the facts surrounding Justin's case, but confirmed that many children are in the same situation.
"The county has a good staff, but they are stretched thin because of insufficient funding," he said.
Because thousands of people are seeking mental health assistance, Fresno County has to prioritize. Those people who are "seriously or persistently mentally ill" get immediate help; the others have to wait in line, he said.
That situation could change, Thornton said, with the passage of Proposition 63, which imposes a 1% income tax surcharge on the 30,000 Californians with yearly incomes of $1 million or more.
The measure, approved by voters in November, requires counties to submit proposals to the state Department of Mental Health after holding hearings to find out how the public wants the money spent.
Fresno County has a pressing need for a psychiatric inpatient program for children and adolescents, Thornton said. No hospital in the central San Joaquin Valley provides the service, and the nearest hospital accepting youngsters is in Modesto, he said.
It's unclear when Fresno County will start receiving its share from the proposition, Thornton said.
At Bullard High, Justin's friends have met with the school's crisis team to receive counseling, and staffers and students are collecting money to help pay for funeral costs.
Stone-Weise said her son, a junior, received good grades, was respectful of his teachers and didn't get in trouble. Vice Principal Steve Pagani confirmed Justin was "a student in good standing at Bullard."
With the funeral pending, Justin's mother said she can't stop wondering why her son went to the tracks last Thursday.
While she was at work, he had gone to school and then home. About an hour before he died, he talked to the apartment manager about getting a new apartment key. He also was planning to go to his grandparents' home over the weekend.
He left no suicide note, his mother said.
"Every time I hear a train's whistle I'm going to think of my son," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I will be haunted forever." |
| Showing posts 1-10 of 10 | Page 1 of 1 |
| Discussion |
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 0  @ 27-11-2004 19:28 mayana07 | 
17,038 posts
| may their hearts be at peace
all my love....
~maryann~ | | 0 @ 27-11-2004 19:30 Bex4Benj | 1,197 posts
| That's so sad, I hope your friend will be okay.
I'll be thinking of her xxx | | 0 @ 27-11-2004 19:30 biteme13 | 6,780 posts
| t's so hard to find the right thing to say when something like this happens, but I'm definitely wishing the best for everyone who knew him and that he will be remembered for all of the good things that he has done. | | 0 @ 27-11-2004 19:30 Kimmikazi708 | 317 posts
| RIP  | | 0 @ 27-11-2004 19:32 Pepsi_226 | 2,030 posts
| suicide makes me  sad | | 0 @ 27-11-2004 19:34 biteme13 | 6,780 posts
|  | | 0 @ 27-11-2004 19:40 Roxy_Ryan | 
21,754 posts
| Rest in peace Justin, your spirit will live on
My heart goes out to your friend
x~Roxy~x | | 0 @ 27-11-2004 19:42 kalsonberry | 14,057 posts
| that's really sad | | 0 @ 28-11-2004 02:23 Zangoose | 901 posts
| ...wow.... how sad... ... | | 0 @ 28-11-2004 03:15 west_side_girl | 11 posts
| that is harsh
to know your child is gone
how could someone put loved ones in this place
I hope he is in heaven and may this bring friends anf family of justin closer to God
God bless |
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