Death of a Parent

Hope – My Story

Hope tells the story of her father’s death and how it affected her and her family

Jessica’s Reflections as an Adult Grieving Child

Parents or trusted adults are people children often turn to for support, but my circle of trusted adults was shrinking. My peers were focused on what to wear on civvies day (a day where we didn’t have to wear a uniform), while I was focused on just surviving.

Rebecca -Absurdity

Rebecca talks about the death of her father and how things can seem real unreal, absurd when in grief

Adam – Story 2

Adam discusses his busy life and how he has coped after losing his mother

Mary S – My story (long)

Mary tells the story of her life with her husband, his death and then the loss of both of her parents

Karyn and Aidan – Our story 2

Karyn and Aidan – Aidan tells the story leading up to John’s death during the pandemic

Keeping Records

I pulled the photos out of their envelope one at a time, turning over each one to carefully record the date, place, and people in the photo. Sometimes, I included comments. “Apple picking in Hamilton with Pop Pop, Fall, 2023. You loved the wagon ride!”. I slipped each picture into an empty pocket in my son’s photo album.

Zoreena – Passing on kindness

Zoreena talks about wakes, funerals, COVID and the importance of kindness

Jessica M – My Story

Jessica talks about losing her grandfather at 14 when her mother was terminal, her mother and aunt died when she was 15. She felt alone until she found a peer support group

Margaux – “It never really hit me at one moment”

Margaux describes the experience of gradually processing her grief through individual and group therapy. Margaux continues to grieve the death of her mother from breast cancer.

Amber -Grieving as a teenager

Amber discusses the challenges of going through grief as a teen

Mourning a Man I Never Knew

This spring, I turned fifty-four. I have now outlived the father I never knew: my biological father. It’s been almost twenty-three years since we spoke; eighteen years since I learned of his death. I’m still dealing with the strange grief of his loss.