Foreword: I do not personally know this man, and all of the information I have been given was forwarded to me by my girlfriend, who worked with him since 2006. However, she knew him since she was a little girl since her mother used to work at the same store. I have written this to open the eyes of people who do not have to deal with medical differences on a daily basis to show how something as simple as a change of plans can alter a life. I personally relate deeply to this story as I have Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. I can completely relate to how this man felt and would do anything to change the outcome if I had the chance. I write this to you as a plea to be a better person than you already are, because someone's life may depend on it. That said, I give you the story of William Lane Jr.
William Lane Jr. was a man that most employees would love to be around. The kind of guy who would take any hours, and would go out of their way to put a smile on someones face even when he could not be happy himself. He had worked at a grocery store called Price Chopper, which those of you near Albany, NY may have heard of (I'm not sure how far the store reaches as a chain). He had been an employee there since he was 18, in 1989, a loyal person even when those around him jump ship for a chance at a better living. You see, Bill Lane was autistic. He was incredibly intelligent, but his medical condition made it difficult for him to express such things in a manner you or I would consider "normal", as is common with autism. Another thing about autism that I can tell you from personal experience is when you make an autistic person upset, it literally crushes their entire being. Every fiber in their body is broken up over what the average person may be able to accept and move on from...Which brings me to the actual story itself.
Bill Lane requested time off from work very rarely...He almost never took vacations, and always showed up to his shifts. He worked at the same job for 22 years, doing the same thing, at the same times. However, in the beginning of May, he put in a request for a week of vacation three weeks ahead of time, just as the rules state he has to. Originally, his supervisor was fine with this, and you could tell from the look on his face that he couldn't wait to finally get some time to enjoy life without stress. About a week later, his supervisor told him that she had changed her mind and that his vacation request was denied. For the next two weeks, he seemed to change. The happy person everyone became used to started to drift away, being replaced by a shell of a defeated man.
On May 31, 2011, at the age of 41, William E. Lane Jr committed suicide. He hung himself in a depression over losing his only time to himself, after such a long period of loyalty. The worst thing about this isn't why it happened, it is that it was such a preventable death. All he wanted was a week off, a chance to breathe and regroup. I hope that Bill can rest easy knowing he never has to go back to a place where he isn't treated the way he deserves to be.
I'd like to quote my girlfriend by saying "I hope he is in a place where every day is a vacation, because if anyone deserves it, it's him".
I have attached the obituary that was posted on the internet. Rest In Peace Bill Lane, and God Bless.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sar...&pid=151425434
William Lane Jr. was a man that most employees would love to be around. The kind of guy who would take any hours, and would go out of their way to put a smile on someones face even when he could not be happy himself. He had worked at a grocery store called Price Chopper, which those of you near Albany, NY may have heard of (I'm not sure how far the store reaches as a chain). He had been an employee there since he was 18, in 1989, a loyal person even when those around him jump ship for a chance at a better living. You see, Bill Lane was autistic. He was incredibly intelligent, but his medical condition made it difficult for him to express such things in a manner you or I would consider "normal", as is common with autism. Another thing about autism that I can tell you from personal experience is when you make an autistic person upset, it literally crushes their entire being. Every fiber in their body is broken up over what the average person may be able to accept and move on from...Which brings me to the actual story itself.
Bill Lane requested time off from work very rarely...He almost never took vacations, and always showed up to his shifts. He worked at the same job for 22 years, doing the same thing, at the same times. However, in the beginning of May, he put in a request for a week of vacation three weeks ahead of time, just as the rules state he has to. Originally, his supervisor was fine with this, and you could tell from the look on his face that he couldn't wait to finally get some time to enjoy life without stress. About a week later, his supervisor told him that she had changed her mind and that his vacation request was denied. For the next two weeks, he seemed to change. The happy person everyone became used to started to drift away, being replaced by a shell of a defeated man.
On May 31, 2011, at the age of 41, William E. Lane Jr committed suicide. He hung himself in a depression over losing his only time to himself, after such a long period of loyalty. The worst thing about this isn't why it happened, it is that it was such a preventable death. All he wanted was a week off, a chance to breathe and regroup. I hope that Bill can rest easy knowing he never has to go back to a place where he isn't treated the way he deserves to be.
I'd like to quote my girlfriend by saying "I hope he is in a place where every day is a vacation, because if anyone deserves it, it's him".
I have attached the obituary that was posted on the internet. Rest In Peace Bill Lane, and God Bless.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sar...&pid=151425434
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