RIP Michelle Trachtenberg, 39

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really doubt either an ED or alcoholism would cause that level of liver damage in her 30s. Usually you don’t see cirrhosis until much later even in very heavy drinkers.

More likely it is hepatitis. I had a friend who this happened to her in 30s. She got a liver transplant. Lost an incredible amount of weight with the whole process.

Could have also been cancer that spread to liver.

Rest in peace.

My brother had cirrhosis in his late 20s due to alcohol abuse. Not everyone’s bodies react in the same way to substance abuse.

Not saying it’s what happened here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A costar mentioned her “struggles” in a public statement after her death, which seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to substance abuse.

Yes several have said they wish they could have helped. And her parents declined autopsy. Signs indicate a sad situation not 100% medically related.

Michelle was jewish and autopsy's are not allowed for Jewish people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A costar mentioned her “struggles” in a public statement after her death, which seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to substance abuse.

Yes several have said they wish they could have helped. And her parents declined autopsy. Signs indicate a sad situation not 100% medically related.

Michelle was jewish and autopsy's are not allowed for Jewish people.

Only very strictly observant ones. My Jewish inlaws plan to be/have asked to be cremated. That's not "allowed" either but they don't seem to care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A costar mentioned her “struggles” in a public statement after her death, which seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to substance abuse.

Yes several have said they wish they could have helped. And her parents declined autopsy. Signs indicate a sad situation not 100% medically related.

Michelle was jewish and autopsy's are not allowed for Jewish people.

Only very strictly observant ones. My Jewish inlaws plan to be/have asked to be cremated. That's not "allowed" either but they don't seem to care.

Disposal of remains of people without major public profiles and and further investigation of cause of death of a famous person who predeceased her parents are not similar.

[Anonymous]

So sad. Rip

[Anonymous]

There were some news stories mentioning that friends said she had alcohol struggles. Those might have been deleted though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A costar mentioned her “struggles” in a public statement after her death, which seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to substance abuse.

Yes several have said they wish they could have helped. And her parents declined autopsy. Signs indicate a sad situation not 100% medically related.

Michelle was jewish and autopsy's are not allowed for Jewish people.

What happens when law enforcement or whoever investigates deaths need to determine if there's anything suspicious and need to confirm cause of death?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A costar mentioned her “struggles” in a public statement after her death, which seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to substance abuse.

Yes several have said they wish they could have helped. And her parents declined autopsy. Signs indicate a sad situation not 100% medically related.

Michelle was jewish and autopsy's are not allowed for Jewish people.

What happens when law enforcement or whoever investigates deaths need to determine if there's anything suspicious and need to confirm cause of death?

It’s usually a state law issue — I’m surprised NY is allowing this. My friends mom died recently in another state and they mandated an autopsy despite her being old with dementia because the cause of death was unknown and the law requires it to rule out foul play. My mom had the same with her sister that died in her 30s with a medical condition—the state mandated an autopsy due to her age and because she wasn’t in a hospital or similar when she died.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A costar mentioned her “struggles” in a public statement after her death, which seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to substance abuse.

Yes several have said they wish they could have helped. And her parents declined autopsy. Signs indicate a sad situation not 100% medically related.

Michelle was jewish and autopsy's are not allowed for Jewish people.

What happens when law enforcement or whoever investigates deaths need to determine if there's anything suspicious and need to confirm cause of death?

It’s usually a state law issue — I’m surprised NY is allowing this. My friends mom died recently in another state and they mandated an autopsy despite her being old with dementia because the cause of death was unknown and the law requires it to rule out foul play. My mom had the same with her sister that died in her 30s with a medical condition—the state mandated an autopsy due to her age and because she wasn’t in a hospital or similar when she died.

Don’t if this is relevant but my family did the opposite for our elderly father with a rarer form of dementia - we pre arranged an autopsy through a research university. Otherwise, his death in skilled nursing at age 85 would not have required an autopsy.

By the way, nothing significant was found genetically but the results and entire procedure benefited the university researchers, as gruesome as that may sound.

[Anonymous]

Well, it was diabetes, presumably Type 1 given the transplant and early death.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A costar mentioned her “struggles” in a public statement after her death, which seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to substance abuse.

Yes several have said they wish they could have helped. And her parents declined autopsy. Signs indicate a sad situation not 100% medically related.

Michelle was jewish and autopsy's are not allowed for Jewish people.

What happens when law enforcement or whoever investigates deaths need to determine if there's anything suspicious and need to confirm cause of death?

It’s usually a state law issue — I’m surprised NY is allowing this. My friends mom died recently in another state and they mandated an autopsy despite her being old with dementia because the cause of death was unknown and the law requires it to rule out foul play. My mom had the same with her sister that died in her 30s with a medical condition—the state mandated an autopsy due to her age and because she wasn’t in a hospital or similar when she died.

NP and I’m actually not surprised that NY doesn’t have a law about this. There are a lot of conservative Jewish communities in NY and they are very politically active.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, it was diabetes, presumably Type 1 given the transplant and early death.

I thought they couldn’t do an autopsy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A costar mentioned her “struggles” in a public statement after her death, which seemed to be a thinly veiled reference to substance abuse.

Yes several have said they wish they could have helped. And her parents declined autopsy. Signs indicate a sad situation not 100% medically related.

Michelle was jewish and autopsy's are not allowed for Jewish people.

What happens when law enforcement or whoever investigates deaths need to determine if there's anything suspicious and need to confirm cause of death?

It’s usually a state law issue — I’m surprised NY is allowing this. My friends mom died recently in another state and they mandated an autopsy despite her being old with dementia because the cause of death was unknown and the law requires it to rule out foul play. My mom had the same with her sister that died in her 30s with a medical condition—the state mandated an autopsy due to her age and because she wasn’t in a hospital or similar when she died.

Don’t if this is relevant but my family did the opposite for our elderly father with a rarer form of dementia - we pre arranged an autopsy through a research university. Otherwise, his death in skilled nursing at age 85 would not have required an autopsy.

By the way, nothing significant was found genetically but the results and entire procedure benefited the university researchers, as gruesome as that may sound.

That doesn't sound gruesome at all. It sounds beneficial all around. Bravo to your whole family for making this decision for science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, it was diabetes, presumably Type 1 given the transplant and early death.

I thought they couldn’t do an autopsy?

I think the article said it was blood work. That doesn’t require an autopsy (eg where they remove all the organs, weigh them, cut them apart etc.). Sounds like perhaps she wasn’t being well monitored or taking good care of herself post transplant. They may not have known she developed type 1 diabetes but that probably explains all her weight loss prior to her death. Untreated type diabetes causes notable weight loss.

[Anonymous]

Her parents declined autopsy so not sure how they just came up with diabetes as the reason. Then forgo saying if it was type 1 or 2 and why she needed a liver transplant so young. I'm not buying this.