Hope Leighton

Dealing with Grief for the First Time as a 17 Year Old

Growing up, I had never experienced real loss. I had lost a great-grandma or grandpa every now and then but being that I was so young, it didn’t truly affect me; I didn't feel very much sadness. I had the mindset that nobody that I really loved and cherished would ever pass away or leave me. That mindset transformed for me in the very beginning of my junior year in high school.