How horrible -- Nurse who took Middleton prank call reportedly found dead

[PrincessMommy]

That was me. I never need a pump, because I never left the couch. If I moved too much(like walking to the end of the driveway) I ended up needing IV hydration, so I stayed on the couch. We couldn't afford for my DH to take off work to take me to the hospital and watch the kids, plus each visit was $100. So I survived pregnancy by basically laying on the couch or sitting in the same position for hours a day. I vomited a ot, but with round the clock medication and barely moving I managed to avoid the hospital. Most of the time.

 

As for the prank, I generally find prank calls with the intent of humiliating someone in poor taste. I think a bad end to one of these pranks was inevitable(not necessarily this particular one) and I think the radio station and the DJs have some culpability with their poor judgement.

 

That was me too. If I moved too much I was sick and it just.wouldn't.stop. And sick every 20mins even on a good, quiet day. I started choosing foods by what was palatable coming back up again (eggs - no... cottage cheese...not so bad). Fortunately, it all ended around week 20 - except for my youngest which went on the full 9months. It did get much less severe but was barfing the day he was born. That's real fun too - barfing while 9mo. preggy - with my 6th. I should have invested in Depends then.

 

I'm sorry that the Dutchess is going through this. It's so miserable. I hope it goes away soon for her.

 

And, I agree about pranks. I don't find the humor in humiliating someone.

[gardenmom5]

Oh dear I gave the very pleasant side of HG. :)

 

I'll likely never go into it all with someone. Just isn't worth rehashing my own psych or dealing with their judgements. And it doesn't matter in the end. One does what needs done and tears don't make it any easier to do it.

I understand the desire to not rehash the gory details - I was bringing some of them up in hopes of education for those who have no experience. too many - even women - think all morning sickness is created equal. (uhm, no.) Perhaps Kate's experience will help others recognize this. I hope.

 

ah, the things we do to get our kids here. :)

[Elizabeth in MN]

Uh, Kate's health was serious enough to require hospitalization. As for the hoax call, it wasn't funny and anyone who thinks it was needs to revisit what they define as humor IMO.

 

No, the hoax call was not a spur of the moment choice. It was written up, done and then vetted by lawyers. I can't imagine it's terribly legal to claim to be a royal when you aren't.

[Murphy101]

Uh, Kate's health was serious enough to require hospitalization.

 

agreed. I suppose one could claim she is wussing bc she is a royal, but I doubt it. And in the states, you usually have to be very bad off to get more than a pushed banana bag and turfed until you can drag in again. When I was hospitalized, I was very bad off.

 

As for the hoax call, it wasn't funny and anyone who thinks it was needs to revisit what they define as humor IMO.

No, the hoax call was not a spur of the moment choice. It was written up, done and then vetted by lawyers. I can't imagine it's terribly legal to claim to be a royal when you aren't.

 

 

Nonsense. Comedians do it all the time. I dislike pranks mostly because I dislike surprises in general. But let's get real here. Comedians make fun of famous people all the time by imitating them. Some do a very realistic job of it too!

 

The worst the hoax call did was illustrate the lack of privacy just about anyone in the UK seems to have. I don't think most people would have believed that call. But even if they did, the nurse didn't say anything that wasn't already public knowledge. It's not like she was sharing some big secret. Maybe now the UK hospitals will consider that every patient should get more privacy about their medical conditions and history.

[butterflymommy]

agreed. I suppose one could claim she is wussing bc she is a royal, but I doubt it. And in the states, you usually have to be very bad off to get more than a pushed banana bag and turfed until you can drag in again. When I was hospitalized, I was very bad off.

 

There's also the issue that Kate may have an eating disorder. There have been rumors circulating for a long time. At her thinnest she has looked deathly thin (she actually got thinner than her wedding day).

 

I just read an article saying the death is now "unexplained." Maybe it's possible this wasn't a suicide? Perhaps she had some underlying health issue and the stress from the event caused a heart attack, or something.

 

I really doubt it's a "hit" by the royal family because their privacy is constantly invaded in worse ways and all those people are still alive. You'd think they'd go after the prank caller and not the unwitting nurse. The same for a stalker obsessed with the royals.

[Mommyfaithe]

In my eyes, this was a case of bullying. Cut and dried, the media went too far.....this is just so sad.......

[sewingmama]

In my eyes, this was a case of bullying. Cut and dried, the media went too far.....this is just so sad.......

 

 

 

How? I truly don't understand how you can say that. The DJs' barely said two words to the first nurse and just asked for information from the second. They didn't force or threaten anybody - I don't see how it fits a defination of bullying. They asked for information and were given it feely.

[butterflymommy]

 

 

How? I truly don't understand how you can say that. The DJs' barely said two words to the first nurse and just asked for information from the second. They didn't force or threaten anybody - I don't see how it fits a defination of bullying. They asked for information and were given it feely.

 

 

I can see it as a case of bullying against the royal family-- they are always hounded and their privacy invaded-- but I agree I don't see how it's a bullying case against the nurses. A cruel prank but not targeted bullying against the staff.

[LibraryLover]

So, people who are paid to entertain call the hospital and pretend to be royal. The call gets put through to the caretaker of the princess, not the princess.

 

Even Prince Charles laughed it off when asked (before the death). The palace said nothing. I'm sure it wasn't much of an issue to them.

 

How is this bullying the royal family? And why would someone commit suicide because another nurse answered a call? It's not that they woke and dragged the sick woman out of bed, and made her talk to her MIL. I think only Imp's MIL is capable of that.

 

I don't think for a minute that all was otherwise right with this poor nurse.

[Catwoman]

If it turns out that this was suicide, and that a prank phone call and some publicity was enough to trigger it, I think it should be clear to most people that she must have had many, many other issues.

 

No sane person would commit suicide solely because of a radio station prank.

 

That said, I feel very badly for her, her family, and her friends -- whatever the cause of her death, and I hope that, for the sake of everyone involved, it turns out that the woman's death was of completely natural causes, and the timing of the prank was entirely coincidental.

 

I find it amazing that some people seem to be blaming the radio personalities for this woman's death. Radio station pranks occur every day, and there was no way in the world that these two djs could have, in their wildest dreams, ever thought that a silly phone call would have led to someone's death.

[Word Nerd]

I don't think for a minute that all was otherwise right with this poor nurse.

 

 

I don't either. Suicide (if that's what it turns out to be—it's my understanding they're still waiting for autopsy results to confirm that as the official cause of death) is such an extreme over reaction to what happened. The prank was stupid and juvenile, but there's no way anyone could have predicted any of the hospital staff at the other end of the prank would take such an irrational step as a result. I feel bad for her and her family, but I don't think the DJs are responsible for her death. I also disagree that this should be considered bullying.

[Melissa in Australia]

I don't either. Suicide (if that's what it turns out to be—it's my understanding they're still waiting for autopsy results to confirm that as the official cause of death) is such an extreme over reaction to what happened. The prank was stupid and juvenile, but there's no way anyone could have predicted any of the hospital staff at the other end of the prank would take such an irrational step as a result. I feel bad for her and her family, but I don't think the DJs are responsible for her death. I also disagree that this should be considered bullying.

 

 

I disagree with the bullying. At the very least the DJ's should have thought about how a nurse would possibly loose their job over such a prank. It was not funny they went way too far. It is time the media woke up to the fact that they are way too pushy, sneaky and bulling just to get the latest scoop.

[TXBeth]

 

 

I disagree with the bullying. At the very least the DJ's should have thought about how a nurse would possibly loose their job over such a prank. It was not funny they went way too far. It is time the media woke up to the fact that they are way too pushy, sneaky and bulling just to get the latest scoop.

 

 

But they weren't trying to get a scoop! They were just messing around, calling the hospital pretending (badly) to be the queen, the prince, and the royal dogs! They assumed the receptionist would hang up on them and everyone would laugh at how bad their accents were. At the very most, they thought maybe they would get lucky and be out through to the room, where someone there would hang up on them. When they were actually put through, they were stunned and just winged it. They never expected to be given any confidential information (and they weren't given any that hadn't already been made public). To accuse them of bullying is unfair, and to imply that they have any culpability at all in this woman's death is completely ludicrous. I feel so bad for these poor DJs, who were just doing their jobs and now are being accused of being responsible for someone's death!

[Catwoman]

But they weren't trying to get a scoop! They were just messing around, calling the hospital pretending (badly) to be the queen, the prince, and the royal dogs! They assumed the receptionist would hang up on them and everyone would laugh at how bad their accents were. At the very most, they thought maybe they would get lucky and be out through to the room, where someone there would hang up on them. When they were actually put through, they were stunned and just winged it. They never expected to be given any confidential information (and they weren't given any that hadn't already been made public). To accuse them of bullying is unfair, and to imply that they have any culpability at all in this woman's death is completely ludicrous. I feel so bad for these poor DJs, who were just doing their jobs and now are being accused of being responsible for someone's death!

 

 

:iagree:

 

If the intentions of the djs had been malicious, I could understand that people would be upset with them, but they were playing a silly joke. Period. And realistically, no harm was done by their phone call. The nurse died, but there was no way anyone could have predicted that. The nurse's death was in no way a reasonable (or even imaginable) end result of a prank phone call. The djs are not at all responsible for the nurse's death.

 

And they didn't bully anyone. They didn't threaten the nurse in any way.

[gardenmom5]

You know, it's very sad that we claim to be educating our children more thoroughly than public schools. I think we need to do a better job of understanding and being sensitive to other cultures and teaching that to our children.

 

this woman was NOT from the west - even though she lived in it. what the dj's did in some circles in western culture might have only been seen as a ridiculously juvenille prank. (and tacky and tasteless and makes you wonder if they think they're still 12.) In eastern culture, it's a major loss of face and yes, it can easily result in suicide or even murder of someone who IS mentally stable. Loss of face is very serious in some cultures - including the one this nurse is from.

[Guest submarines]

I disagree with the bullying. At the very least the DJ's should have thought about how a nurse would possibly loose their job over such a prank. It was not funny they went way too far. It is time the media woke up to the fact that they are way too pushy, sneaky and bulling just to get the latest scoop.

 

 

So DJ's are responsible for other people violating rules on the job? How does this even make sense?

I worked as a receptionist, and I encountered much pushier callers, and it really wasn't a big deal not to share confidential information.

 

ETA: And even seems that the nurse who spoke to the DJ's didn't even share any confidential information, the information was already public. She wasn't about to lose her job over this.

[Guest submarines]

You know, it's very sad that we claim to be educating our children more thoroughly than public schools. I think we need to do a better job of understanding and being sensitive to other cultures and teaching that to our children.

 

this woman was NOT from the west - even though she lived in it. what the dj's did in some circles in western culture might have only been seen as a ridiculously juvenille prank. (and tacky and tasteless and makes you wonder if they think they're still 12.) In eastern culture, it's a major loss of face and yes, it can easily result in suicide or even murder of someone who IS mentally stable. Loss of face is very serious in some cultures - including the one this nurse is from.

 

Then she did do what her culture considers honorable. If we talk about cultural sensitivity, then we shouldn't apply our standards to actions of people from other cultures. If honor is more important than life, her suicide is a strong manifestation of what this other culture considers the right thing to do. Then, it is only tragic by our standards. By their standards it would've been tragic if she continued her life as if nothing had happened.

[gardenmom5]

 

Then she did do what her culture considers honorable. If we talk about cultural sensitivity, then we shouldn't apply our standards to actions of people from other cultures. If honor is more important than life, her suicide is a strong manifestation of what this other culture considers the right thing to do. Then, it is only tragic by our standards. By their standards it would've been tragic if she continued her life as if nothing had happened.

 

 

that does not absolve the DJ's (or the radio station) of their crass (at best) behavior.

[Catwoman]

that does not absolve the DJ's (or the radio station) of their crass (at best) behavior.

 

 

It was a joke. Frankly, I can't imagine that anyone thought their ridiculous accents could have possibly been authentic. They didn't even seem to be trying very hard to be convincing.

 

Their prank was nothing compared with a lot of the stuff we hear on the radio here.

 

If that nurse hadn't died, people would have thought the whole thing was funny, or at worst, silly and kind of dopey.

[TXBeth]

 

 

that does not absolve the DJ's (or the radio station) of their crass (at best) behavior.

 

 

What do you mean "absolve" them? You're talking like they sinned. They were stupid and immature, yes. So what? They didn't hurt anyone or damage anything. At most, they were an inconvenience to someone (the second nurse, not the first one) whose time could have been better spent doing something other than answering their questions. The don't need absolution or forgiveness or anything else. Some people are just immature. Some people even know they are immature and continue because they enjoy it. These two happen to make a living by being immature and letting others laugh at them. WHY is everyone making such a big deal about this?

 

This woman got a phone call asking about Kate's health, and she passed it on to the nurse in charge of that. Regardless of who was calling, it seems to me that was the right thing to do. The second nurse could make the decision about what information to give over the phone.

If anyone is going to be "blamed" (for the info leak, not the death, as no one holds any blame for that except the person who killed her), it should be the hospital administrators who didn't have any policy in place about protecting patients' privacy.

[Hannah]

This woman was NOT from the west - even though she lived in it. What the dj's did in some circles in western culture might have only been seen as a ridiculously juvenille prank. (and tacky and tasteless and makes you wonder if they think they're still 12.) In eastern culture, it's a major loss of face and yes, it can easily result in suicide or even murder of someone who IS mentally stable. Loss of face is very serious in some cultures - including the one this nurse is from.

 

 

And British media likes to play the 'blame game' after every incident, so her name would have come up in the 'what went wrong and who's to blame' news articles and analysis of the event.