grief
Losing a family member is one of the most traumatic life events; Families must support one another to endure the five stages of grief and get through it together.
Forever Missing My Dad
January 31, 2018 was a day I will never forget... I remember every detail. It was a Wednesday, and I had just began to work on my second patient of the morning when I heard my office manager behind me. I turned to see if she needed me, and saw her pointing. I read the words as they silently rolled off her lips, “Your brother is here.” Immediately, my heart sank. I knew something wasn’t right. Tears started to well up as I excused myself from the operatory. I stepped out of the room to see my younger brother standing there at the end of the hallway waiting for me. His face was troubled, his body was tense, and his voice was almost unrecognizable. My dad had gone missing the night before, and his body had been found that morning. Sooo many questions started flowing through my mind. Why? Where was his body found? How did this happen to him? Maybe there was a mixup. There was no way that it could be “MY DAD.” No possible way that he could really be gone. It was so difficult to put the pieces together... It was troubling to believe. It was harder to even BREATHE. My world came crumbling down in an instant.
By Chelsea Jones7 years ago in Families
I Was 19 Years Old
Newly into college, I was juggling a full schedule with my academics, waitressing, and being a student athlete, where I also had to juggle practice two times a day. I had no real social life in terms of doing the whole "College thing" by partying and drinking, if so it was rare to see me out (I didn't even like going out in high school, for the same reasons, working and on the HS swim team).
By Lena Michelle7 years ago in Families
Medical Malpractice at It's Finest; And the Dangers of Coumadin
I lost my Aunt unexpectedly over this past weekend. It basically downright sucks! You can only imagine how her kids feel, how her grand kids feel, and mostly her husband of 58 years feel! It is so maddening as to what happened and malpractice is what seems to possibly been the cause of all of this.
By Sheila Robertson7 years ago in Families
My Son's Passing
To begin, I was a single mother of six children. Five of those children living with me due to my oldest being taken to Florida by who MAY be his father while I was at the doctor's. (I will elaborate on the subject in another story.) I lived in my grandfather's home with him, my children, and my boyfriend at the time. I was working for $8.50 an hour as a medical assistant in a doctor's office...horrible money for my position. But I still took care of my family and helped my grandfather pay the bills. The boyfriend wasn't working, two of my kids were in school, and the rest stayed at home because I couldn't afford daycare. So, the boyfriend watched them, or I would drive them to the next town to stay with their grandmother until I got off work. Okay, done with a bit of the back story.
By April Mansfield7 years ago in Families
Dear Damien
How to survive after losing your child is such a hard thought no one has a concrete answer to. When your child's last heart beat on the monitor beats its last beat, your breath drops and your heart feels numb. You as a mother feel guilty for even still breathing and walking.
By Ashley Antoinette7 years ago in Families
To My New Hero in Heaven
To my new Hero in Heaven, I think it goes without saying that we miss you more than anything and that none of us can go a single day without thinking of you at least three times. I'm sure I'm not the only one who closes my eyes and tries to hear your voice in my head or imagine how much better it would feel if you were sitting next me. We all lost a huge piece of ourselves when we lost you, though we know in some way you are still here.
By Paranneting/Anne Reboa7 years ago in Families
"We Think She's Having a Heart Attack"
Flash back three and a half years. I just gave birth to the most non alien looking, beautiful baby girl. My life had been a s*** show before I became pregnant with her. Her daddy and I were headed down the wrong path when we found out we were eggo preggo. After crying for weeks, I accepted the fact, and began loving and caring for this tiny little human in me. So no, I was not one of those moms who was over the moon excited to be pregnant at first. I still feel guilt for this, but I never loved my daughter any less.
By Korrie Denton7 years ago in Families
You Are So Loved
Unfortunately, my life has been touched by suicide. During high school, I struggled with self harm and suicidal feelings. I didn't have a productive way of coping with stress, and self harm became my coping mechanism. Now, I know now that self harm is not an appropriate coping mechanism, but when I was younger, for some reason it was the only thing I could think of to calm my anxious mind. This unfortunately was a struggle throughout all of my high school career, up until halfway through my senior year. I made some really amazing friends my senior year of high school, and I was the captain of my high schools color guard. I had a solo in our indoor show, and I felt like I finally had a place. Luckily for me, things only went up from there, and I learned more positive ways to deal with my stress. Now I clean. Other people aren’t always as lucky, however. They don’t find their place, and they don’t realize how loved they truly are until it’s too late.
By Hannah York 7 years ago in Families
Never Ending Cycles
So you've been trying to start or add to your family. You might be trying for your first child, you may have remarried and you want more children, or you're trying for baby number 2 but months and months have gone by. Heck, maybe even a year or more.
By Marissa Jason7 years ago in Families
I Am a Childless Mother
Nothing is more exciting or more terrifying than seeing those two blue lines of a positive pregnancy test. Your mind starts to race, joy, fear, uncertainty, and love are some of the emotions that start to take over as you think about the future. You start to think about the little things: boy or girl, will it look like me or my partner, what will they be when they grow up, will I be a good parent? Then you think about the big things: how will we afford things like food, diapers, and clothes, how will we pay for collage, what morals and lessons will be best to teach for a happy and successful life?
By Tawni Hardy7 years ago in Families
Gone for Good
How Will I Tell the Children? October 10, 2018 By: Emily DeLuca Cassie awoke as she did every day, bright and early and full of vigor. She started her day as she always did, brewing a fresh, strong pot of coffee, awaiting the moment her two children would awaken. It was summer so there was no need to set out clothes or prepare their lunch boxes; this left her time to check out the latest going on in the world of Facebook followed by the daily email check.
By Duch DeLuca7 years ago in Families
