On Oct. 13, Lamar Odom was found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel after days of intense drug use. Odom, known for his professional basketball career with the Los Angeles Lakers and marriage to Khloe Kardashian, has had a history of drug abuse. After waking from a coma and being taken off life support, Odom was transferred to Ceders-Sinai Medical Center according to the New York Daily News. He underwent multiple emergency surgeries, says the NY Daily News, and is aware he has hit rock bottom.
Where I have a problem with this story lies in the media and public's reaction. I feel very badly that Lamar Odom, and millions of others, are battling with addiction. I could never imagine what Khloe Kardashian and his family are feeling and the millions of others who have loved ones battling addiction. That is why I have a problem with this. Millions of other people across the world are suffering from the very same problem. So many people have had to see their loved ones hospitalized and many lose them to the disease.
Of course, with all of that being said, that does not invalidate or take away from anyone's experience - Lamar or the millions like him. Instead, I think the media and the public should try to do a better job of acknowledging (or at least respecting) the fact that the only reason we are talking about him is because of his profession and his love life but in no way does that mean we shouldn't talk about him. The only way we can help the millions of people, including Lamar Odom, is to end the stigma surrounding addiction and other mental illnesses. To do that we must talk about it.
I have seen several people online say things like "we are only talking about him because he's married to a Kardashian," and "we should talk about any one of the millions of people who suffer from addiction and don't get special treatment," and maybe those things are true. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I believe when you enter certain professions you agree to be in the public eye. Whether or not that is fair or how it should be, that is how it is. Those people who enter those professions then become public figures who represent millions of people in different ways whether they want to or not. We may only get to hear Lamar Odom's story but that does not mean we shouldn't talk about it -- we just have to do it in the right way.
Whether or not you like Lamar Odom (or the Kardashians) I hope you have respect for his situation and the millions of others like him. They are all human and are dealing with a real medical condition but hopefully Lamar Odom can help us get rid of the stigma that surrounds addiction and mental illness.
