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How Child-Loss Changes Your Relationships

Posted on October 5, 2016 - by Shannon Harris

There is a great divide between the relationships I have with those in my life six years ago and those just getting to know me. The more time that passes since watching my son take his last breath, the greater this divide grows. I was reminded of this today when confronted with some difficult situations that involved people on the newer side of the chasm. When I meet people now, the fact that I lost a child does not come up early on in our conversations. I share that information with select people. If I think my story will inspire […]

Life-Work Balance and a Parent with Dementia

Posted on October 1, 2016 - by Carla J Vagnini

I reflect at 3am not being able to sleep, remembering it was just over one year ago since my husband Paul and I moved my father and his two cats 700 miles north to live near us. We were traveling and preparing for his move during the week of our 20th anniversary. Not what we’d planned in 2015 for such a wonderful occasion but very much needed. Our anniversary is tomorrow and we have plans to spend the day together and celebrate our love, friendship and growing stronger together through all of the adversity we’ve faced of the past few […]

Tina Barrett: Grief Center Serves Men and Boys

Posted on September 27, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

There are many types of grieving styles, and that’s the topic of discussion between Dr. Heidi Horsley and Tina Barrett during the National Alliance for Grieving Children conference. Barrett is with the Tamarack Grief Center, an organization revered by Dr. Horsley and the Open to Hope Foundation. Comparing how girls grieve vs. boys is a tricky issue—since everyone grieves differently. It’s impossible to avoid lumping some stereotypes together with this conversation, however there are certainly well-established developmental differences between the genders. Still, as a nation men are under-served. Look at almost any grief center, and you’ll find an inordinate amount […]

From Motherless to ‘Motherfull’

Posted on September 25, 2016 - by Ceci Frost

Knowing our role or function among our friends and family isn’t something we intentionally think about; it’s just natural. Knowing our role at work is necessary and obvious. I didn’t realize every character (aka: people around me) in my story (aka: life) had been playing a role in my life for years. Not just Mom, Dad, Grandma, or best friend. But more in-depth: protector, caretaker, wisdom giver, encourager, the glue, or comedian. I knew before I lost my mom that I was Cathy’s daughter. Everyone loved my mom; therefore, they loved me too, because I was her daughter. (I truly […]

When Sorrow and Joy Collide: Coping with Opposite Emotions

Posted on September 23, 2016 - by Harriet Hodgson

In 2007, my husband and I became guardians of our twin grandchildren. Our elder daughter, their mother, died from the injuries she received in a car crash. Six months later the twin’s father died from the injuries he received in a car crash. Two more family members died as well, and we were stunned by grief. The twins, one boy and one girl, were 15 years old when they moved in with us. Our challenge was to stay upbeat for them and grieve at the same time. I’m a strong person, but wondered if I would survive such tragedy. As […]

Darnell Baylor: Helping Teens with Grief and Anger

Posted on September 23, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

Darnell Baylor with Roberta’s House talks to Dr. Heidi Horsley about teens and grief. As a program manager, Baylor works with bereaved teens in Baltimore. It’s the only such center in Baltimore. “Changing the Game” is a way for kids to take control and do something healthier during their grief. They need support and consistency. They need a hug, a teacher, and that’s what they’re looking for as teens anyway. Grief and loss exacerbates the situation and can blow up their feelings. Anger is a common response to a loss. While many teens are angry, they’re also unsure of how […]

Mandi Zucker: Imagine Center Offers Family Support

Posted on September 21, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

Mandi Zucker joins Dr. Gloria Horsley to talk about Imagine, a center for coping with loss located in New Jersey. They target children ages 3-18 as well as their families. Children living with an illness in the family, as well as those who’ve lost someone they love, need a special kind of support. For adults who are grieving themselves, balancing life, loss, and a little one who’s grieving can be a huge challenge. There are more women than men who seek out grief support, but Imagine is open to men and women alike. Still, there are more moms at the […]

Coral Popowitz: Grief Camps Offer Peer-to-Peer Healing

Posted on September 20, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

Grief camps can be a fantastic tool for healing. Dr. Gloria Horsley interviews Coral Popowitz, the Executive Director of several grief camps around the country. Grief camp is an oxymoron, since nobody wants to think about attending one. However, the focus is on the camp aspect and it’s geared towards kids looking for a fun peer to peer outing. Adults can have just as much fun as kids, and there’s definitely a ritual and memorial aspect to it. Everyone arrives on a Friday, and nobody wants to be there but they feel a need to be there. Her camps are […]

My Ten-Year Journey After Losing My Daughter

Posted on September 18, 2016 - by Randah Hamadeh

I experienced the saddest moments of my life, as the unthinkable happened to my family, when Samar, my 18-year-old daughter died ten years ago. I never thought that what happened to some parents would ever happen to us. But it did. The death of my youngest daughter was the biggest blow I had in my entire life. Yet as a mother of two other children and a wife, I had to give strength to my family. It was not easy. Samar’s 10-year anniversary was on September 4. It has prompted me to share with parents, particularly mothers, how I survived […]

Active Grieving Can Help After Sibling Loss

Posted on September 17, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

“Every loss is unique. The truth is, the worst loss is the one that is happening to you, the one that has picked you up and thrown you down and left you struggling to put your life back together.” (Devita-Raeburn, 2004, p. 184) When I was 20 years old, I was awakened in the middle of the night to the terrible news that my 17-year-old brother Scott and cousin Matthew, had been killed together in a car accident. It seemed inconceivable that my brother had died. My brother, who I had grown up with, shared a history with, and expected […]