Death of a Parent

Sam – Men in grief

Sam who lost his father, uncle and cousin talks about men and grief

Lyss – Seasonal Reminders

Lyss seasonal reminders and her mother dying at New Years

Karyn and Aidan – Humour

Karyn and Aidan talk about how they use humour as a connection and a coping tool

Katie “Ongoing Grief”

Katie talks about the loss of her mother.

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.

Karyn and Cathy – “Suicide”

Karyn and Cathy discuss how the stigma of suicide impacted the lack of acknowledgement of their grief and loss. Karyn and Cathy continues to grieve the death of their father by suicide.

Bryan – Mom

Bryan gives his mother credit for how well she raised her two sons after her husband was murdered

Bryan – Trauma

Bryan discusses trauma anxiety, support and the loss of his father to gun violence

Amber – Grieving at the age of 17

Amber disucss what it’s like to be a teen when a parent dies

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.

Antoinetta – Story

Antoinetta tells her story of grief and her father getting lung cancer

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