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There isn't much sadder than this: Blythe Ann O'Sullivan, a 25-year-old Bloomingdale native, died on Thursday while serving in the Peace Corps.
O'Sullivan was far from her family when an accident occurred in the fields of Suriname, where she was working with local women to create and fund a village community center and help get clean drinking water to rural areas. She was shot in the thigh after tripping the wire on a device local farmers use to keep wild game off their lands. While the animal trap is illegal, the incident is still being considered an accident by Peace Corps officials and the government of Suriname, which are both still investigating the incident.
She was one of more than 8,000 current volunteers and trainees serving in 74 countries throughout the world, and one of 41 in Suriname. Volunteer deaths do occur; O'Sullivan was the fourth this year. Still, the Illinois native gleaned invaluable wisdom while working as a small-business advisor in the country.
According to her parents, in her last phone call to them she said, "I am so humbled by the challenges the Suriname villagers must conquer day-after-day. Here, each waking moment must be spent satisfying basic needs that, in the U.S., are virtually satisfied at birth. We can never do too much for these fellow citizens of our one world." We hope that we and many people in Illinois and beyond can take those words of wisdom to heart, and that her life will serve as an inspiration because of her good works.
Image of O'Sullivan via the Peace Corps web site.
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She's a hero. She died to do what was required to share understanding, care about others as well as those back at home as she represented the US. She died to encourage peace. It's one of the saddest stories I've read.
RPCV Estonia
Sad.
But still,
"I am so humbled by the challenges the Suriname villagers must conquer day-after-day. Here, each waking moment must be spent satisfying basic needs that, in the U.S., are virtually satisfied at birth. We can never do too much for these fellow citizens of our one world."
What, they wrote this down, or do they just have really good memories?
Is there really a point to your comment JP2?
Yeah, its the cynic in me saying that you don't have to sell me a story about what nice things a Peace Corps volunteer said in her last telephone call to her parents.
The Peace Corps thing does the trick quite nicely by itself, and the lengthy and ridiculously detailed "quote" sounds like an obit sales pitch.
You just let me know if I can do anything else to ruin your Christmas spirits.
JP2, I totally hear what you're saying and agree. 100%
Gawd, and I'm called heartless!
look, the quote say's "According to her parents,"
so I guess it’s up to you two to take the quote and decide that Peace Corps made it up!
But I guess it’s better than accusing the parents of making it up
To insists on journalistic accuracy is not being petty. I am siding with JP2 and Ingrid. The story should dolled up in a Peace Corps press release. Such inaccuracy and showmanship is disrespectful to the memory of this courageous young woman
It's silly to think that those were verbatim quotes from Ms. O'Sullivan. If they indeed were verbatim, they would had to have been recorded by her parents. Along those lines, if they were recorded by her parents, then that fact should have been reported or in any article that listed that lengthy "verbatim" quote.
To restate, JP2 is right to question bad reporting and possible misinformation. Our Christmas spirits will survive it.
I don't know why I'm arguing this with yall, but how the sammuel L Jackson on the pop sicle stick do yall know? And how do you know that the Peace Corps, did ask the parents to fax over a statement about thier daughter and that's what they faxed over?
As a fmaily friend of Blythe's I find it kind of sickening you would even be debating this issue. Blythe was a very intelligent and articulate young lady who did speak as you see above. Have I asked her parents about this quote that's been all over the media? No, because it sounds just like something she would say whether she was talking to her parents, the Peace Corp or the media. Don't get me wrong, Blythe often spoke as a regular 25 year old girl, however she was wise beyond her years and appriciated every moment she had in the Peace Corp and Suriname.
Rest in Peace, Blythe.
Lizard, I'm sorry for the loss. Nobody here is questioning whether she was intelligent and articulate. What is being questioned is how someone would be credibly attributed such a quote from a memory more than 2 minutes old. Its inconceivable that anyone would remember such a random thing, word for word, several weeks later without great prompting up-front.
Thats it. Nothing more.