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Little Lauren…

Posted on April 17, 2009 - by Eric Tomei

Kids have such a great way of putting things into the proper perspective in life. They really make you realize that the happy times are really happy and should be celebrated and that the sad times aren’t all that bad and they will get better. Once a month, I schedule a visit with my goddaughter, Lauren. I truly look forward to hanging out and bonding with her especially since she is approaching big-girl age of 3 in May. It is so fascinating the way kids change day by day. It was really a perfect day. […]

Slideshow and Music: Keepsake of Memories

Posted on April 16, 2009 - by Sandy Fox

by Sandy Fox A special project I did in memory of my daughter was a slide/music show on the computer. This is something you may want to do. You can look at it anytime, when the memories overwhelm you, or when friends and relatives come over who would appreciate seeing it. I started out by going through every album I have from birth to death and chose the pictures I thought represented her life through candid action shots of activities she was involved in, trips she took, boyfriends she had, honors she won, and of course, family posed pictures. I […]

Four Friends for the Grief Journey

Posted on April 16, 2009 - by Claire Perkins

During my journey through grief, here were four friends that never failed me: journaling, expressive arts, dreams and synchronicity. My book, The Deep Water Leaf Society, is full of examples of how these companions helped to guide me toward healing. Here is a brief overview of how you can bring these friends along with you on your own healing journey. JOURNALING When you’ve lost a loved one, all kinds of things go through your mind and heart. You feel many emotions. You may have regrets. You may be beating yourself up with the “if onlys.” There may be things you […]

When a Miscarriage Occurs After Fertility Treatments

Posted on April 15, 2009 - by Monica Novak

By Kira Copperman, LMSW – Being a patient at a fertility clinic brings moments of anxiety, hope, excitement, fear, and stress. The time and effort to become pregnant can feel like an emotional roller coaster and certainly a different route to conception than one may have imagined. A Harvard Medical School study showed that patients going through fertility treatments experience comparable levels of stress to patients who are going through treatment for cancer and heart disease. This is no surprise as patients experience the daily, weekly, sometimes hourly ups and downs as they are progressing through their treatment. The focus […]

Finding Grief Support Online

Posted on April 14, 2009 - by Marty Tousley

By Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT, DCC If you have access to a computer with an Internet connection, you have at your fingertips a wealth of grief information, comfort and support. The Open to Hope website offers an extensive array of resources. Other websites offer online chat rooms, discussion forums and message boards, where you can join a virtual support group, connecting with and sharing your experiences with others whose losses are similar to your own. The online Grief Healing Discussion Groups that I monitor and moderate is an example of such a site. Selecting from over a dozen individual forums, […]

Corresponding With Bereaved Parents

Posted on April 13, 2009 - by Sandy Fox

by Sandy Fox This morning I opened my email and heard from a mother who had lost her 21 month old son in a car/pedestrian accident last year. She had just finished reading my book, saying it was the first one she had read since the accident, and found that reading about other parents who have lost children and what they have gone through reaffirms her own feelings. She, like many, is having a rough time. Her email has inspired me to write today’s blog. In another email I received recently a mother said she read my book twice, enjoying […]

Woman Feels Helpless to Comfort Grieving Boyfriend

Posted on April 13, 2009 - by Richard Beck

Marissa writes in: My boyfriend lost his mum seven months ago, four days after having her diagnosed with a brain tumor. She was his best friend, and had a very close relationship with him. I think he didn’t have a proper grief at the beginning, he was always trying to make his dad and brother feel well while forgetting about himself. He relied on me, we started dating only 2 months before his mum died, but I have been there for him since. He’s been always saying how much he appreciates my support, and how important I am for him. […]

When a Child is Dying, What Do Classmates Need to Know?

Posted on April 13, 2009 - by Norman Fried

By Norman Fried — Children with chronic illnesses are often absent from school due to medical treatments and their attendant side effects. Frequent hospitalizations, chemotherapy, outpatient doctor visits and general malaise and fatigue have all interfered with the child’s ability to maintain proper and consistent attendance in school. In the circumstance of a life-limiting diagnosis, or when the child has entered into a palliative care and end-of-life phase of his disease, questions and concerns from classmates eventually arise. Fears about their friend’s medical condition, his abilities and disabilities develop. A visit to the child’s classroom should be made available by […]

Happy Easters with My Dad

Posted on April 12, 2009 - by Eric Tomei

One of my favorite times of the year is the Easter holiday. The weather is starting to turn nice, everybody is in a good mood, there is plenty of good food to eat and everyone is on a sugar rush from all of the candy that is consumed. I always looked forward to Easter as a kid because of the simple fact of dying those Easter eggs, a tradition that many kids look forward to each year. My Mom absolutely used to hate dying Easter eggs with us. She didn’t like anything about it, but thankfully my […]

Death Creates Secondary Losses

Posted on April 12, 2009 - by admin

by Harriet Hodgson Death creates many secondary losses. Some are major, some are minor, and some are just annoying. After four family members died within nine months I coped with dozens of secondary losses. I was in such shock at the time, however, I did not realize how powerful these losses could be. According to Bob Deits, author of “Life After Loss,” secondary losses are really a series of losses. These losses hit and hurt the core of your being, Deits says, and “how you measure your happiness and value your life.” Well, I can honestly say I didn’t have […]