Who Cares?

I read this morning in the Lansing State Journal the report of a 64 year old woman who reportedy killed her 24 year old daughter and then turned the shotgun on herself. The details of this story are what make me wonder...
The 24 year old daughter was inflicted with down syndrome. The mother, was recently diagnosed with colon cancer for a second time.
In her suicide note, the mother indicates that she "couldn't go through having cancer again", and that she was worried that no one else could take care of her daughter if she were gone. So she ended it for both of them.
How odd is that as I read this article, I honestly thought for a brief moment that this may have been a better outcome for the young lady! I thought of the fear of a containment home, of clinical suppression, and the lonliness that would set in on the 6yr old mental level of the woman. But then something struck me...I think it was my decent side knocking me upside the melon. Why couldn't someone else give her the care that her mother did? There is a family involved here somewhere! Maybe this is so much like life in general for us "normal people" We always think its someone elses place to take care of "problem people". Is there really this much of a disregard for such people?

In less than one hour I will be picking up a 13 year old that has the maturity and development of a 7 year old. He is affected by OCD, Turrets, and Aspergers Syndrome. This youngster has more compassion for nature and animals than most people who can understand how to figure out quadratic equations easily. Today I will think to myself as I take him on a trip to the local Nature center: Would I care if it werent my job right now? Would I care if I didnt know this boy all that well? Who should care...?