Scott Simon Shares His Mother’s Final Moments Through Twitter
NPR host Scott Simon shared his mother’s final moments through Twitter. The heartbreaking journal of her final days drew over a million watchers.
Patricia Lyons Simon Newman Gilband passed away late Monday night. Gilband spent her last days in the intensive-care unit at a Chicago hospital. Simon remained by her side, sending messages to his fans via Twitter.
As reported by NPR.org, Simon is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday. He started working for NPR in 1977. His first position was chief of the Chicago bureau. He has reported from all 50 US states, Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, India, and the Middle East.
Scott Simon’s work has earned him numerous awards, including Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, the Presidential End Hunger Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the Major Armstrong Award.
Simon also received an Emmy for The Patterson Project, which explored the lives of New Jersey residents effected by presidential budget cuts.
As reported by the Washington Post, Scott Simon has reported the most difficult story of his life as the world watched.
While in the hospital, Simon and his mother shared movies, songs, and memories. He shared his disappointment and heartbreak, in real-time, as he watched his mother’s life slip away.
Worldwide, people are turning to social media to share increasingly personal and intimate events. Critics have complained about what they perceive as gross over sharing.
When she asked for my help last night, we locked eyes. She calmed down. A look of love that surpasses understanding.
— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 29, 2013
As seen on New York Magazine’s website, critics have been harsh about Simon’s Twitter feed.
Lizpop posted: “respectfully speaking, if my kids do this to me I will haunt them from my grave.”
Muggle posted:
“Agree with previous posts – why do this, it’s weird. Also – I don’t WANT to participate in his mother’s death… I don’t want to spend my time experiencing your pain; I don’t even know you.”
The heavens over Chicago have opened and Patricia Lyons Simon Newman has stepped onstage.
— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 30, 2013
Scott Simon chose to share his mother’s final moments via social media. Whether intrigued or appalled, his posts drew over one million watchers.
You wake up and realize: you weren’t dreaming. It happened. Cry like you couldn’t last night.
— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 30, 2013
