Erica Blasberg

Erica Blasberg, a pretty and talented LPGA golfer who death came suddenly in May has been ruled a suicide.

Erica Blasberg was a Southern California native and member of the LPGA Golf tour. According to the Clark County, Nevada coroner's office Erica Blasberg died of asphyxia, coupled with a presence of toxic levels of prescription medication, including prescription headache, cough, pain and anti-anxiety medications found in her body.

The Clark County coroner's office stated that Erica Blasberg's main cause of death was the asphyxia, the prescription drugs in her system was a significant factor. The drugs included butalbital, temazepam, alprazolam, codeine, hydrocodone and tramadol.

On the heels of this tragic release by Clark County coroner office, the Henderson Police Department announced it had ruled out foul play in Blasberg's death, but an arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Dr. Thomas Hess on misdemeanor obstruction of justice charges.

Dr. Thomas Hess now stands accused of tampering with evidence such as removing items from the death scene of Erica Blasberg's home. Dr. Thomas Hess is being arrested for removing items from the death scene at Erica Blasberg's home in Henderson, Nev., before police arrived. Police have said Hess called 911 from Blasberg's home on the day of her death in May but was not present when they arrived.

Police said Hess admitted to altering the scene -- hiding an apparent suicide note and prescription medications in his vehicle -- and stopped cooperating with detectives.

This all sounds too much like Michael Jackson’s death of late and that of Anna Nicole Smith. Both seemed to have a penchant for helpful doctors and a whole plethora of over the counter and prescription drugs.

In the case of Erica Blasberg, she was 25 and in her sixth season on the LPGA Tour. She went to high school in Corona and was a two-time All-American at the University of Arizona, where she was named NCAA freshman of the year and Pac-10 player of the year in 2003.

What makes it more strange was the plastic bag she supposedly put over her own head to suffocate to death, after taking all the drugs as mentioned earlier.

My two questions seem to stand out to me are:

1. She was on the top of the world. In her only start this season, Erica Blasberg tied for 44th two weeks ago at the Tres Marias Championship in Morelia, Mexico and, in a sports network report, "She was a loving daughter to her parents and a compassionate and loyal friend. Erica had a good heart, was extremely kind and very thankful for what she had in her life."

Erica Blasberg was a decorated collegian, winning six tournaments in two years. She was named Golfweek’s 2003 Player of the Year after finishing the season No. 1 in the rankings. She also was ’03 NGCA Freshman of the Year, Pac-10 Player of the Year and competed on the victorious 2004 Curtis Cup team.

2. Her friend, Dr. Thomas Hess supposedly removed a suicide note, and medications he gave to her, along with his refusal to work with police in the investigation just smack of hidden issue. Additionally, Henderson Nevada police executed a search warrant on May 13 and raided the medical office and home of Dr. Thomas Hess looking for certain pills and handwriting samples from Dr. Thomas Hess.

With previous 'in the news' cases such as Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jacksons relation to Doctors and friends you just cannot help but wonder...and wonder loudly

The World of Golf plan to Honor the fallen LPGA Star

The first tribute will take place at the Bell Micro LPGA Classic in Mobile, Alabama. Erica Blasberg was scheduled to compete this week. Everyone in the tourney plans to don purple ribbons in honor of Erica.

At the University of Arizona -- where Erica Blasberg went to school, the women's golf team will wearing black ribbons at the National Championship Tournament in North Carolina later this month.

Additionally, Erica Blasberg will be honored by the Vanderbilt University team, where her former coach Greg Allen is now in charge. We're told Allen and his players will wear a patch bearing Blasberg's nickname, "Skip."

Greg Allen, Erica Blasberg's former coach at the University of Arizona, stated he remembered a fiery competitor whom the Wildcats affectionately called “Skip.” As the story goes, when Erica Blasberg showed up to her first workout as a freshman in 2002, the trainer asked the team to warm up by skipping around the track. Erica Blasberg didn’t know how to skip.

“Every kid in America knows how to skip,” Allen said, laughing. “We stuck that name on Erica Blasberg.”

On the Hooked on Golf Blog, posters there listed post with comments such as:

This is terribly sad and strange. 25 year old LPGA player Erica Blasberg was found dead in her residence in Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday.

.....

I once had an opportunity to interview Erica back in 2009, but my schedule had changed and unfortunately the interview never happened.

.....

This is a very sad story, broke my heart when I read it. She’s so young and pretty active which makes you think she was in good health, and others.

Finally, when I went to research Suicide, I found some interesting statistics on wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide)

Suicide is often committed out of despair, or attributed to some underlying mental disorder which includes depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism and drug abuse.[1] Financial difficulties, interpersonal relationships and other undesirable situations play a significant role.

Over one million people commit suicide every year. The World Health Organization estimates that it is the thirteenth-leading cause of death worldwide.[3] It is a leading cause of death among teenagers and adults under 35.[4][5] There are an estimated 10 to 20 million non-fatal attempted suicides every year worldwide.

All this just doesn’t seem to play with what has been said about Erica Blasberg. But then, who really knows what may be going on in a person’s hidden mind.

For me, most people will tell you I am the MOST positive person they ever have met. I Never go to others for help. I always look for the solution. I have always believed in God and in Jesus as His only Son. But I have always thought that God is way to busy to assist me in my trivial issues. Besides, God has given me everything I need to resolve the issues that may come in my life. Yet when my Father died on January 31st 2000, a spirit of depression came over me that was impossible to beat. 

It was as if Sunny Days were a shade greyer, and where I had always walked the edge, like the sharp edge of a knife in all that i do, I suddenly was walking the big dull opposite side. I laughed, but the laughs seemed hollow, I cried all the time, but the cries seemed empty. I couldn't understand why the world didn’t stop, why the President didn’t call for a day off work for the nation and a national day of sorrow. Why the United Nations didn't call for and vote 100% for a World Day of sorrow at Pop's passing.

And then in May my spouse took me to a doctor where he prescribed Zoloft. Zoloft only made everything more hollow, more lifeless, more dead. I hated that stuff. I took it for about 2 weeks.

Then, finally, I was at my father’s house in the middle of that same month of May when I set on the edge of the bed, looked in the mirror with the face I had grown accustom to over the last several months. A life less, joy less even sad less face, just a dead face staring back at me in the mirror. As I looked into the mirror I asked God, why? why? why? Why take my father? Why take my joy? Why leave me like this?

With the Speed of an Angel, He answered me

"I made the blind to see, I made the lame to walk, I raised the Dead, but not one time while Pop was sick did you come to me. Not one time did you ask for My help."

I fell on my knees, and for the first time in months since my Father had passed away I really cried. As I cried, I realized my sin was not coming to God. My sin was thinking I could do it alone. The fact is, we all need God. We all need his love and help.

After my prayers there on my knees, I got up and acted on my prayers, on my believe. I walked to the bathroom and flushed the Zoloft down the toilet. As I hit the handle I said, God please help me today and every day.

I am not going to tell you that everything was rosier from that moment on. I will tell you that same day, as I walked outside the sun seemed a little brighter. That night the moon and stars seemed brighter and twinkled as if to give me little winks from an angel. I knew then, things would get better. By August I was back to work and when my first Christmas came around without pop later that year, it was sad, true...but I knew where my father was. My Father was with my Father!

Pray for the Blasberg Family and the other One Million families around the world that go through not just the sorrow of losing someone, but the sorrow of losing them to suicide.