Updated 7:10 pm March 18, 2009:
CNN has reported on the statement released by Richardson’s family, confirming that she has passed away.
Richardson’s family released a statement saying, “Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”
Previously:
Two days ago, she suffered what appeared at first, to be a minor injury. She fell while taking a skiing lesson, and initially felt fine, probably just a bit embarassed. Rather quickly though, she began to feel not well and was taken to hospital. Very quickly it was determined she was most definitely not ok, and in fact, gravely ill.
Such is the risk when one suffers a head injury… even a minor one.
Liz Smith reports that his afternoon, at 1:30 pm, she was taken off life support, and not because her condition has improved.
“I had been waiting for several days for a phone call from Vanessa Redgrave, who was coming to New York to give an award at the UN.
The call, of course, never came.
Everybody in the family — Liam, the two boys, Vanessa, Lynn Redgrave, Joely Richardson — have all been in the hospital with Natasha, and word is in at 1:30 PM WEDNESDAY they have taken Natasha off of life support.
This is not unexpected.
Insiders felt yesterday, on learning they were flying Natasha in to Lenox Hill, that this meant her condition was hopeless and they were just finding a place to be together with her and to say good-bye.”
I am honestly, feeling awful for her and of course, her family.
Recently, two thirds of my fraccy clan have given me cause to be concerned about head injury, and while most of us don’t spend much time thinking about it, we should realize how quickly anyone can be gone from our lives… for something as simple as hitting one’s head.
I, not knowing their family of course, don’t know that the few words I would leave on the internet would really have any impact on their suffering, loss and grief. What I do know, is that what I can do… is provide some information about head injury, and hope that if even one person reads it and is helped, she would be pleased.
Visit this page to view Liz Smith’s slideshow.
Read more about head injuries below.
Head Injury Help and Information:
[From familydoctor.org]
Types of head injuries
- A concussion is a jarring injury to the brain. A person who has a concussion usually, but not always, passes out for a short while. The person may feel dazed and may lose vision or balance for a while after the injury.
- A brain contusion is a bruise of the brain. This means there is some bleeding in the brain, causing swelling.
- A skull fracture is when the skull cracks. Sometimes the edges of broken skull bones cut into the brain and cause bleeding or other injury.
- A hematoma is bleeding in the brain that collects and clots, forming a bump. A hematoma may not be apparent for a day or even as long as several weeks. So it’s important to tell your doctor if someone with a head injury feels or acts oddly. Watch out for headaches, listlessness, balance problems or throwing up.
How can the doctor tell how bad the damage is?
The doctor will ask about how the injury occurred, about past medical problems, and about vomiting, seizures (fits) or problems breathing after an injury.
The injured person may need to stay in the hospital to be watched. Sometimes, tests such as a computerized tomography (CT) or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan that take pictures of the brain are needed to find out more about possible damage
What happens after a head injury?
It’s normal to have a headache and nausea, and feel dizzy right after a head injury. Other symptoms include ringing in the ears, neck pain, and feeling anxious, upset, irritable, depressed or tired.
The person who has had a head injury may also have problems concentrating, remembering things, putting thoughts together or doing more than one thing at a time.
These symptoms usually go away in a few weeks, but may go on for over a year if the injury was severe.
Will the head injury cause permanent brain damage?
This depends on how bad the injury was and how much damage it did. Most head injuries don’t cause permanent damage.
What about memory loss?
It’s common for someone who’s had a head injury to forget the events right before, during and right after the accident. Memory of these events may never come back. Following recovery, the ability to learn and remember new things almost always returns.
Is it true that the person must be kept awake after the injury?
No. If the doctor thinks the person needs to be watched this closely, he or she will probably put the person in the hospital.
Sometimes, doctors will send someone who has had a head injury home if the person with them is reliable enough to watch the injured person closely. In this case, the doctor may ask that the person be awakened frequently and asked questions such as “what’s your name?” and “where are you?” to make sure everything is okay.
Get help if you notice the following symptoms:
- Any symptom that is getting worse, such as headaches, nausea or sleepiness
- Nausea that doesn’t go away
- Changes in behavior, such as irritability or confusion
- Dilated pupils (pupils that are bigger than normal) or pupils of different sizes
- Trouble walking or speaking
- Drainage of bloody or clear fluids from ears or nose
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Weakness or numbness in the arms or legs
Charitable Associations:
International Brain Injury Association
The Brain Injury Association of Canada
The Brain Injury Resource Foundation
Brain Trauma Foundation
Headway – The Brain Injury Association (UK)
And finally…
Please remember that anyone can be taken from us at any time. Look around you and, think on who the people in your life are, whom you would be devastated to lose. Make sure they know how much you care about them now, while they’re still here.
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A few days back, I referred to a surprise I was working on.
Oh goody. Another site jumping on that confession wagon we’ve all come to know and love through sites like 
Soon it will be Easter, that time of the year where young ‘uns everywhere will gleefully hunt for and find, enough chocolate in the form of eggs, little rabbits and all manner of other such creatures of the forest which their parents have personally hunted for and captured at their local WalMart. The modern day parent, not wanting their children to grow up having to experience the horrors of restraint, will likely gift their children with no less than sixteen and a half pounds of a variety of chocolate that will, if actually eaten by said child, cause at least four cavities, one possible root canal, at least three and a half serious stomach-aches and the necessity to re-paint at least one room of their home after little Johnny (or Jane) Junior has trodden all over the walls (and ceiling) with their (likely) chocolate-covered shoes.
You Laid An Egg