A heartbroken and grieving father from Massachusetts is asking the public to forgive his wife who is charged in connection with the death of their three young children, all ages five and under.
Reports say that Lindsay Clancy, a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, jumped out of a window in their Duxbury home in a suicide attempt after allegedly strangling her three children: Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and 8-month-old Callahan who died in a local hospital late last week.
Around 6:10 p.m. on Jan. 24, police received a 911 call from the father, Patrick Clancy, detailing Lindsay’s suicide attempt.
Experts say that Lindsay Clancy may have been suffering from postpartum psychosis—an intense mental illness—when she allegedly committed the murders. Facing two counts of murder and other charges, Lindsay is currently hospitalized and in police custody.
On a statement shared on a Go Fund Me Campaign, which is “intended to help Pat pay for medical bills, funeral services and legal help” and because “Pat will be unable to work for the foreseeable future as he weathers this painful, life-altering tragedy”
Patrick Clancy shared a statement with those following the story:
“I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have. The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone—me, our kids, family, friends and her patients. The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.”
In the statement, Patrick Clancy said that people who have said and written bad things about his wife “never knew who the real Lindsay was.”
“Our marriage was wonderful and diametrically grew stronger as her condition rapidly worsened. I took as much pride in being her husband as I did in being a father and felt persistently lucky to have her in my life. She loved being a nurse, but nothing matched her intense love for our kids and dedication to being a mother. It was all she ever wanted. Her passion taught me how to be a better father.”
On Jan. 26, hundreds gathered for a prayer vigil at the Holy Family Church in Duxbury.
In his statement on gofundme.com, Patrick Clancy said the “shock and pain” of the incident is “excruciating and relentless.”
“A lot of people have said they can’t imagine and they’re right, there’s absolutely nothing that can prepare you,” he says. “I’m constantly reminded of them and with the little sleep I get, I dream about them on repeat. Any parent knows, it’s impossible to understand how much you will love your kids until you have them.
“The same goes for understanding the devastation of losing them. Cora, Dawson and Callan were the essence of my life and I’m completely lost without them. My family was the best thing that ever happened to me. I took so much pride in being Lindsay’s husband and a dad to Cora, Dawson and Callan. I always reminded myself that each day with them was a new gift.”
Radio host John DePetro says Lindsay Clancy was getting treatment for postpartum depression in an intense, five-day-a-week program.
“I was told Lindsay Clancy was in a very intensive five-day-a-week program for PPD, trying to get help. Curious to hear a statement from the individuals treating her and what was missed. Sounds like she was in a desperate situation,” he noted on Twitter.
To learn more about forgiveness, especially God’s forgiveness, check out these two books by noted Christian author R.T. Kendall titled, “Total Forgiveness” and “40 Days to Total Forgiveness.” Kendall also wrote “Totally Forgiving God: When It Seems He Has Betrayed You.”
“One of the core messages of the gospel is that of total forgiveness. …not only that we can be totally forgiven by God, but also that we must, in turn, totally forgive others. Our culture is bound up in bitterness, resentment and wallowing in wounds inflicted upon us by others, wounds that we all too easily accept and even cling to!”
If you walk in total forgiveness, you can have the hope and possibility of experiencing incredible freedom and peace. With the heart he has expressed, perhaps Patrick Clancy is on his way to doing just that. {eoa}
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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.
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