How do we help children navigate grief after the death of a parent or loved one? And what have we learned over the past 25 years? Join host Dr. Heidi Horsley for a candid conversation with Heloiza Asaro, Elizabeth Creel, and Carrie Pike about helping children and families live with loss, preserve memories, and find ways to move forward.

Heloiza Asaro is the widow of FDNY firefighter Carl Asaro, who was killed in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001. Left to raise their six children, Heloiza experienced firsthand the challenges of helping children grow up while grieving the loss of their father.

Today, the legacy of Carl’s service continues through their family. Four of their six children—Carl Jr., Matthew, Rebecca, and Marc—became FDNY firefighters. Rebecca is now assigned to her father’s former unit, Engine 54.

Elizabeth Creel, a clinical social worker, was part of a Columbia University research team that worked with families who lost firefighters in the World Trade Center attacks. She has been in private practice and has taught at Columbia University for more than 25 years, where she trains and certifies clinical instructors and serves as a faculty adviser.

Carrie Pike, founder of Carrie Bears, has spent decades helping families honor and remember loved ones who have died. Following 9/11, she created 412 bears for first responders and their families. She is also the author of Heroes of 9/11 and Something to Hold Onto. Together, they explore what we have learned about children and grief over the past 25 years—how to talk with children about death, keep a parent’s memory alive, support children as they grow and change, and help them carry their loss while creating meaningful lives of their own.