Found Deceased IL - Jelani 'JJ' Day, 25, ISU grad student, missed class, Bloomington, 23 Aug 2021 #2

[inmyhumbleopinion]

How was JJ handling his father's poor health? And his own role in trying to save his life?
That's heavy.
And keeping up with educational requirements?
Could he do both at the same time?

So, he's gone to be with his dad. He catches yet another traffic violation. omg, not another, not now. Please, universe, give me a break! It's my dad! Home, worn the bloody hell out. Exhausted every way. Takes a day off. Even God rested on the 7th day. Suits up. The med clinic. The (swear words) med clinic. the last f'ing straw for this day. Haven't gotten the pre-reqs for the first patient apmt. for real? They can just look. Would take less than a minute. I can't believe this ****!! I don't want to go to that advisor(?) appmt now. with all this ****. Need to get some weed. Goes to the shop. ease the agitation. But it doesn't. The altered state gives way to depression. He has thought it before. I just want to die. there's just too much. I can't. I really can't anymore!
Is this time different? Because he's been able to pull it together before and so far. The survival rate is 80%.

entirely MOO, a tale proposed.

He drowned.

Thank you for pointing to it!!

Quite plausible, IMO, unless there is new evidence that says otherwise.

Seriously, I have ZERO tolerance for hate crimes, and personally, if I were to see any hint of Jelani’s disappearance or his subsequent death being criminal (hate-based especially) in any way, I would speak up and try to help his family any way I could. But so far, I just don’t see it

 

[housewife]

the more perplexing question is why the Bloomington dispensary instead of Normal's, which would be much more convenient if travelling to Peru.

RSBM

In Illinois, to get a medical marijuana card, you pay a fee and list in advance which dispensary you have chosen to use. You are only allowed to buy from your dispensary on record. You have to first go through an inconvenient process to change the dispensary if you want to buy from anywhere else. If he was buying with a medical card, he likely was limited to the dispensary he already had on record.

However, if Jelani was buying recreational, I think he could go anywhere (and pay taxes equal to the medical card fee).

 

[Seattle1]

Jelani was a bone marrow match for his father and planning on donating...another commitment of travel, time and health.
Wonder if a time frame had been discussed and set up.
JMO

I question if JD could go through with it. I believe there was no doubt in his heart that he wanted to do this but the reality might be different. I'm not sure JD was in the right frame of mind to make that decision. If so, he probably would not have been smoking weed if he was seriously preparing to be a donor where the intent is to infuse healthy blood forming stem cells to replace the recipient's damaged or diseased cells. Typically, donors are expected to be free of chemicals.

 

[TDW59]

I question if JD could go through with it. I believe there was no doubt in his heart that he wanted to do this but the reality might be different. I'm not sure JD was in the right frame of mind to make that decision. If so, he probably would not have been smoking weed if he was seriously preparing to be a donor where the intent is to infuse healthy blood forming stem cells to replace the recipient's damaged or diseased cells. Typically, donors are expected to be free of chemicals.

Excellent point!!!

this is tragic to JJ's mom on so many levels. I sincerely hope that she gets professional help, starting with grief counseling.

 

[JustCommonSense]

RSBM

In Illinois, to get a medical marijuana card, you pay a fee and list in advance which dispensary you have chosen to use. You are only allowed to buy from your dispensary on record. You have to first go through an inconvenient process to change the dispensary if you want to buy from anywhere else. If he was buying with a medical card, he likely was limited to the dispensary he already had on record.

However, if Jelani was buying recreational, I think he could go anywhere (and pay taxes equal to the medical card fee).

Per Illinois Department of Public Health:

"Dispensary Change Requests Update – effective immediately the Division of Medical Cannabis NO Longer requires patients/caregiver to change dispensaries. Patients are now able to go to any Medical Cannabis dispensary that they choose."

According to the Chicago Tribune the change was made last June.

 

[TDW59]

Due diligence: My statistics numbers are wrong. While I like stats and find them informational, I'm not a natural with it.
IF: JJ had manic depression, which I am very sure of, I know it well, struggling with suicidality is a repeated, cyclical symptom. Of those cohorts, 20% complete suicide. Attempts are very very high.

The other high risk factor is that the cause of death in men of his age is the third most common cause is suicide.

If anyone knows how to do the numbers correctly, thank you. I would love to know!! 80% survival is the highest, being without the large risk of his age and gender. From my perception of there being a serious life threatening illness present. but let's take that out, just to mess with & because afaik there has been no evidence of medical diagnosis or treatment on the record.
Would the coronor report anti-depressants or anti-psychotics? I don't know. I am asking questions. I don't know toxicology or blood panels. Tranquilizers, the benzos, do. They are not as prevalent in treatment as they used to be used routinely.

But with why being the question, the bottom line for me is untreated brain neurology failures, genetically based. In a sense accidental. Can suicide be accidental? Maybe not technically or legally, but I think so. Genetics are? Illness is no respecter of persons.

I am confident there was a previous history that was troubling. I grieve at the opportunities missed to get life saving medical care. I blame no one but it breaks my heart. He would have had to prioritize and compromise but could have had a fantastic life.
Fear, stigma, religion can become a conspiracy of silence.
I believe his mother who says he was a shining star. I smile with her at his travels. smdh, but smile.

Cause of death: Drowning. Manner of death: Suicide Why? mental illness, untreated. excarbated by extemporaneous stressors.

May you soon rest in peace, JJ.

 

[rkendmar]

I want to be careful how I state this. And please forgive me if it takes a few posts.

Hypomania is intoxicating! Charisma, life of the party, feeling very creative...and what we would think is spontaneous, the dr may term as reckless and impulsive. It is a time of new projects and adventures. It is very attractive to those around us. The world is our oyster.

I see this writ large all over the place with JJ. From being a dr to taking care of mom. The vacations not well thought out and planned. The speeding tickets. The phone calls to mom. A new business venture. It is everywhere I look. This larger than life persona.

Mom wants and needs this to be him. I would bet if the family tree were fully mapped out that there are suicides far above normal. I think mom knows that and is/was devoted to protecting her son from this fate. They have an abnormal relationship. It requires denial.
But we see cracks. Requesting his grades. Being over vigilant.

Because what goes up will come down. And he would be overwhelmed and despondent.

Why did he wait 3 years between degrees?

Why did Jelani wait 3 years between his undergraduate graduation and starting graduate school?

IIRC, Jelani's mother mentioned in an interview that Jelani was wait-listed in programs he initially applied to...U of FL was his first choice.
In Speech Pathology graduate programs, all incoming students start the program and graduate at the same time.
If you aren't accepted, you have to apply all over again for the next class and make sure your entire application (transcripts, letters of reference, statement of purpose, GRE scores, fees, etc.) are in place BEFORE the application deadline. It is a real process and the cost of applying to each school adds up.
This certainly could explain the gap.
IMO, applying to competitive out of state schools (e.g. U of FL-Gainesville) is not a great idea unless you have extremely high GRE scores, grades and some research experience in an area compatible with the research going on at the super competitive out of state school.

JMO as a practicing speech-language pathologist with a MS degree.

 

[branmuffin]

How was JJ handling his father's poor health? And his own role in trying to save his life?
That's heavy.
And keeping up with educational requirements?
Could he do both at the same time?

So, he's gone to be with his dad. He catches yet another traffic violation. omg, not another, not now. Please, universe, give me a break! It's my dad! Home, worn the bloody hell out. Exhausted every way. Takes a day off. Even God rested on the 7th day. Suits up. The med clinic. The (swear words) med clinic. the last f'ing straw for this day. Haven't gotten the pre-reqs for the first patient apmt. for real? They can just look. Would take less than a minute. I can't believe this ****!! I don't want to go to that advisor(?) appmt now. with all this ****. Need to get some weed. Goes to the shop. ease the agitation. But it doesn't. The altered state gives way to depression. He has thought it before. I just want to die. there's just too much. I can't. I really can't anymore!
Is this time different? Because he's been able to pull it together before and so far. The survival rate is 80%.

entirely MOO, a tale proposed.

He drowned.

Thank you for pointing to it!!

There is a ring of authenticity to your scenario. I agree that JD was under a lot of pressure to perform, to be the golden boy. That is a tough row to hoe, imo. When you ask lots of kids what they want to be when they grow up they may say, astronaut! ball player! doctor! Because that is the nature of dreaming.

But to make that dream a reality it involves more than just desire. It requires talent, and resolve and sacrifice. And with even all that, there is never any guarantee you will make the grade.

And it matters if it's your dream or someone else's. It's hard enough to reach your goals when you made the decision yourself without being the proxy for someone else's dream.

I can almost see in JD's mind that his constant demands for money from his mom and her ease in which she provided was a form of quid pro quo.

It does seem that JD was under a lot of pressure and many of things he did was to release him from the pressure, even when he knew it was probably going to catch up with him. All speculation on my part.

I feel very sorry for JD.

 

[branmuffin]

Jelani was a bone marrow match for his father and planning on donating...another commitment of travel, time and health.
Wonder if a time frame had been discussed and set up.
JMO

I mentioned earlier upthread that he had been identified as a bone marrow donor. What if he had reservations, though? And not just that he might have been anxious about the procedure but the down time of recovery would negatively affect his grades. What if pretesting a potential donor precluded them from being a donor? Just because you're a match doesn't necessarily mean you go through with the procedure. I posted a link earlier to the issues that could eliminate you as an actual donor regarding of your compatibility and one of them was drug use. It might have been just one more pressure that JD would have to contend with. IMO

 

[5W's]

RSBM
The test is two parts. First the injection, you wait 24-72 hours, and then the physician has to physically look at the injection site to determine if you have TB. They have to physically measure the size of the resulting bump from the injection. You cannot get the test results over the phone, it has to be in person.
Only taking the first part of the test is useless.
The school's health center had signage stating at your first appt (injection) you need to schedule an appt to determine the results (dr looks at bump).

IMHO
I believe it's possible that Jelani lied to his mom. Or he incorrectly assumed the test was complete after just one appt to get the injection.
Again, IMHO, if Jelani did not have an appt to determine the results, I doubt he even got the injection in the first place. And I think when he realized he would have to take the test all over again, including the waiting period, and miss a second day of clinicals he became despondent.

Yes, this could pose a problem for him. One thing though is he probably had to take a TB test before for his program in the past so he would've known the requirements. It's not like he wouldn't have known IMO. I wonder how long the test results last officially from the previous TB test taken? IDK could it be his last results hadn't expired yet, so he was not really concerned. MOO. Maybe Jelani"s mother thinks that some bad elements were distracting her son's focus from his studies that's why she mentioned the TB test and the sequences that surrounded the missing of it. IMO there's two ways to look at it either he was despondant or his focus was being disrupted by bad elements. Although she doesn't specifically state bad elements that's the impression I get from her reaction.

 

[5W's]

I question if JD could go through with it. I believe there was no doubt in his heart that he wanted to do this but the reality might be different. I'm not sure JD was in the right frame of mind to make that decision. If so, he probably would not have been smoking weed if he was seriously preparing to be a donor where the intent is to infuse healthy blood forming stem cells to replace the recipient's damaged or diseased cells. Typically, donors are expected to be free of chemicals.

I'm not an expert but THC is a nautral substance and has properties that can help with pain management.

 

[BeckyF]

I'm not an expert but THC is a nautral substance and has properties that can help with pain management.

Was Jelani suffering from chronic pain? I don’t recall reading that.

 

[5W's]

Was Jelani suffering from chronic pain? I don’t recall reading that.

IDK. I was just generalizing about THC.

 

[TDW59]

Why did Jelani wait 3 years between his undergraduate graduation and starting graduate school?

IIRC, Jelani's mother mentioned in an interview that Jelani was wait-listed in programs he initially applied to...U of FL was his first choice.
In Speech Pathology graduate programs, all incoming students start the program and graduate at the same time.
If you aren't accepted, you have to apply all over again for the next class and make sure your entire application (transcripts, letters of reference, statement of purpose, GRE scores, fees, etc.) are in place BEFORE the application deadline. It is a real process and the cost of applying to each school adds up.
This certainly could explain the gap.
IMO, applying to competitive out of state schools (e.g. U of FL-Gainesville) is not a great idea unless you have extremely high GRE scores, grades and some research experience in an area compatible with the research going on at the super competitive out of state school.

JMO as a practicing speech-language pathologist with a MS degree.

WOW! Thank you! That sounds very rigorous and demanding. It sounds like it pretty much takes all your focus and all your time.
Would you say that is generally accurate?
Would a person be able to manage a handful of other serious stressors at the same time? Every one has problems in life but JJ was handling some things most of us will never be faced with.

 

[TDW59]

There is a ring of authenticity to your scenario. I agree that JD was under a lot of pressure to perform, to be the golden boy. That is a tough row to hoe, imo. When you ask lots of kids what they want to be when they grow up they may say, astronaut! ball player! doctor! Because that is the nature of dreaming.

But to make that dream a reality it involves more than just desire. It requires talent, and resolve and sacrifice. And with even all that, there is never any guarantee you will make the grade.

And it matters if it's your dream or someone else's. It's hard enough to reach your goals when you made the decision yourself without being the proxy for someone else's dream.

I can almost see in JD's mind that his constant demands for money from his mom and her ease in which she provided was a form of quid pro quo.

It does seem that JD was under a lot of pressure and many of things he did was to release him from the pressure, even when he knew it was probably going to catch up with him. All speculation on my part.

I feel very sorry for JD.

Very well said! I have the sense that you are right on target.
I had said that I thought the relationship between JJ and mom was abnormal and you have defined it in part, and done so well at that.

I had just begun to think about this aspect so my impressions and thoughts were nascent. They are still not fully formed, but you outlined it.

I wasn't sure we were allowed to examine mom and the interplay between them.

 

[TDW59]

Weed is a hallucinogen. Incredibly common for self medicating, same as alcohol. However with certain mental illnesses, it can be risky. Today's weed has a really high THC content. Not the old school hippie stuff anymore.

The two primary major mental illnesses are manic depression and schizophrenia. With schizophrenia it can precipitate psychosis.

 

[TDW59]

Cannabis and Mental Illness: A Review (nih.gov)

cannabis a risk to mood disorders. Manic depression is a mood disorder.


Abstract
With the increasing push to legalize cannabis in Western nations, there is a need to gauge the potential impact of this policy change on vulnerable populations, such as those with mental illness, including schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders. This is particularly important as there are strong motives in these individuals to seek short-term reward (e.g., “getting high”). Nonetheless, data to support the beneficial effects of cannabis use in psychiatric populations are limited, and potential harms in patients with psychotic and mood disorders have been increasingly documented. This article reviews the effects of cannabis in people with mental illness. Then, we provide a reconciliation of the addiction vulnerability and allostatic hypotheses to explain addiction co-morbidity in mentally ill cannabis users, as well as to further aid in developing a rational framework for assessment and treatment of problematic cannabis use in these patients.

 

[branmuffin]

Very well said! I have the sense that you are right on target.
I had said that I thought the relationship between JJ and mom was abnormal and you have defined it in part, and done so well at that.

I had just begun to think about this aspect so my impressions and thoughts were nascent. They are still not fully formed, but you outlined it.

I wasn't sure we were allowed to examine mom and the interplay between them.

I don't consider examining the relationship between CBD and JD, only remembering her words in regard to his constant requests for money. Other posters have already commented on the fact if their own children pestered them for money the way JD did, there would be no complimentary analysis of the behavior.

 

[branmuffin]

I'm not an expert but THC is a nautral substance and has properties that can help with pain management.

You are correct, insofar as it does help with pain management. However, the affects between CBD and THC can be quite different. Just like alcohol can exacerbate depression and other psychiatric conditions so can THC.

Anyone who self medicates with weed should be aware of the side effects. If you've been smoking it since you were a teen it's highly unlikely that the user weighed the pros and cons of its use. Here's a cheat sheet for difference between the two.

What’s the Difference Between CBD vs. THC?

Scroll down to the comparison list.

 

[TDW59]

Similarly, the majority of evidence suggests harmful effects of cannabis use in bipolar disorder (BD), another common mood disorder associated with CUD [97]. Using a nationally representative sample of over 40,000 individuals, cannabis use has been associated with a greater risk of BD onset [27]. This association has been found by others, with higher frequency cannabis use further potentiating the risk for developing BD and worsening BD symptomology, including sucide risk [111, 144].

from above source.

Sorry. I did say I would need a few posts to explain. Thank you for patience.