Susan Whitmore

Susan Whitmore lost her daughter, Erika Whitmore Godwin, in 2002 and started griefHaven.org. She is also a grief specialist and leads groups and provides private counseling in Los Angeles, California.

Articles:

What Are Our Choices? A Personal Story By Susan Whitmore, Founder and CEO, griefHaven

How do we handle the road stretching before us when we are grieving? Erika, my daughter and only child, died at 32 in 2002 from a rare sinus cancer. A year later, with the love and support of many people, I started griefHaven. Before Erika died, time felt like a friend. After, it became my tormentor—each day dragging on, the months ahead looking like endless miles to endure without her. When I imagined the future, it no longer held the excitement of possibility. It felt like a long, empty road. Heartbreak hits like a sudden tsunami. It leaves us gasping, […]

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The Circle of Life, the Spirit of Hope

After eleven long hours of pain, there she was─chestnut brown hair, vivid blue eyes, cute pug nose, round face and full lips. She was so beautiful. It was instant love. I knew in that moment that my life would never be the same again. The circle of life had begun. The year was 1970, and her name was Erika. She was my only child. I was a happy, contented mother. Erika was everything to me─my meaning and purpose in life. We traveled through our lives together, never taking our gift of love for granted. Thirty years had flown by, and […]

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