German goalkeeper kills himself by train, police say

CNN ^ | Nov. 11, 2009 | CNN Story Monkey

[End Times Sentinel]

CNN) -- A goalkeeper for the German national soccer team apparently killed himself by stepping in front of a train, just months after he and his wife adopted a daughter, police said Wednesday.

Robert Enke, 32, was captain of the German top-division soccer club Hannover 96 and had played in eight games for his national team. He was widely expected to be the German team's keeper in the 2010 World Cup.

"Preliminary police investigations indicate a suicide," Hannover 96 spokesman Stefan Wittke said.

Enke died about 6:25 p.m. Tuesday. His wife Teresa said he left a suicide note.

She said her husband had been battling depression for six years but had kept his condition from the public.

"I tried to be there for him, said that football is not everything. There are many beautiful things in life. It is not hopeless," she said.

The Enkes' daughter Lara died in 2006 from a heart condition at age 2. The couple adopted a daughter, Leila, earlier this year. She is 18 months old.

Enke feared that if his depression was made public, he might lose Leila, his widow said.

"We had Lara; we have Leila. I always wanted to help him to get through it. He didn't want it to come out because of fear. He was scared of losing Leila," she told reporters.

[End Times Sentinel]

The part about losing his adopted daughter, was irrational (I hope) but rational thinking doesn't seem to be always possible to those suffering from depression.

It's a shame that folks suffering with depression still face a stigma and such a lack of understanding.

[BenKenobi]

Totally understand it.

Remember depressed folks are not thinking straight about themselves.

My heart goes out to this fellow and his family.

[Joe 6-pack]

As someone wrestling with some existential issues of my own (though obviously much smaller) right now, my prayers are with his family and his soul.