Grappling with Grief

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 […]

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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 […]

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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. […]

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Overcoming Grief: Prepare to Live, Not to Die

by LaCharmine Jefferson   At the start of 2015, I was excited about planning what was to be my Fabulous and Fortieth birthday party in October. My vision was a family cruise. It would have been a long-awaited second cruise for my husband Kevin and me. Unfortunately, a medical diagnosis would change everything. It was […]

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Grief for a Former Life: Lisa Cox

by Lisa Cox   I’ve experienced grief several times in my 40 years. One of the most traumatic times happened just 24 years into my life and has left me with many visible and invisible scars. At age 24, I had a brain haemorrhage while waiting for my flight at the airport one morning. I […]

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The Silver Lining in Grief

by Visnupreya Chandrarajah   Death and dying are natural processes of the human experience. In my opinion, the only thing unnatural is that more often than not, those subjects are commonly swept under the rug because it’s uncomfortable. We push the gut-wrenching topics away while we carry on in our hurried routine-packed daily lives. That […]

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Grieving Gratefully: James LaVeck

by James LaVeck   What if I were to tell you I was grateful for losing my husband? Would I sound callous? Inhuman? Heartless? What if I were to tell you I was grateful for losing two? How would you describe me then? The truth of the matter is, I am grateful, and let me […]

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Honoring My Husband: LaSandra Hutchinson

by LaSandra Hutchinson   In 1997, Kenneth Hutchinson began to sit behind me in our World History class. I knew Kenneth was smart and articulate, but I had yet to find out how hilarious he was. Oh, but after he began to sit behind me in class. There were jokes for days! He was sitting […]

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Music and Mental Health: John Hermle

by John Hermle   In 2004, when I was 16 years old, I watched my grandmother die in the hospital alongside my other family members. I didn’t realize until years later, but this was a jumping-off point for when my mental health began to decline. I became a lot more introverted and reserved than I […]

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The Only Way Past It Is Through It

by Rosemary Keevil   Grief is physical. Grief grabs you and keeps you in its clutches. Grief comes at you and punches you in the stomach. And just like those punches, the initial jab being the most powerful. Then it wavers a bit in its intensity, grief in the long term softens with time. But […]

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