by Anneliese McDaid I’ve never been the sort of person who has lived a sheltered life. Grief has been a friend of mine for a very long time. Recognising her was the hard part for me. As a child, I was abused mentally, physically, and sexually, so it’s safe to say that grief has […]
Story Category: Loss
The Silver Linings in Grief: Sally and Imogen
by Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn If you had told us two years ago that we’d lose our mums in our early thirties and that it would go on to become the most transformational thing to happen in our lives, we both would have looked at you blankly and said; “how?” Yet, that’s exactly what […]
Surviving Grief: Gary Sturgis
by Gary Sturgis My husband Rob died on January 24, 2014, after a courageous battle with Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma. It was then that I began to really understand what it means to have loved so deeply and to have lost so tragically. The grief journey I began continues to this day, but I […]
Keeping a Family Together: Sarah Steele
by Sarah Steele I was 35. My husband, Jacob, and I were just “coming into our lives.” We had seven children, age 14 down to 20 months. Our businesses were taking off, and we were starting to flex our wings. Taking a long weekend vacation away for the first time was something we had […]
The Gift in Grief: Phoebe Young
by Phoebe Young I’d always lived what some would call a very sheltered life. I never really had to deal with the harshness of life or had to witness those I love in deep pain. I never had to feel the force of grief. Life had been gentle with me and I was lucky […]
Using Grief to Honor Those We’ve Lost
by Chris Boutté I’m no stranger to grief, and I’ve probably experienced more loss than the average person. I don’t say this as a way to say my loss is more valid than anyone else’s. I learned a long time ago that sometimes it helps to learn from others who have dealt with various […]
In Memory of Lauren
by Mario Corena Dedicated to a brave girl called Lauren who combated mental health issues, including eating disorders, BPD, etc. and finally succumbed to it at 26 years of age on the 29th of September 2015. With this date approaching, it’s been six years that we have lived without Lauren. And with that in […]
My Good Grief: Cheryl Parker
by Cheryl Parker It’s November 30, 1998. I’m at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. My eight-year-old daughter Rachel has been transferred here two hours ago after spending the night at Ajax Hospital due to a flu bug she has been fighting for a week. The doctors haven’t figured out why Rachel is so […]
Grief Leads to the Gym: Duane Kitchen
by Shandi Pace Like many others, Duane Kitchen had an abnormally rough year in 2020. On July 19, 2020, his mother, Marlene, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 54. She had been experiencing problems with her heart and was two weeks away from having open heart surgery to fix some clogged arteries. It […]
No Stranger to Grief
by Angelika Martin I am no stranger to grief. The love of my life, my husband, and my best friend has joined my other loved ones who have already dearly departed. These include my brother who had a heart attack at 36 years old, while my mum and my best friend both had cancer. […]