death of a child

Having a child changes you, Losing one does, too

By guest author Deedra Climer

Deedra Kliner StoryOn the drive to Memphis from Southeast Michigan to bury my twenty-three year old son, Joshua, I fished an envelope out of my glove box, found a pen on the floor and started writing. I was in a daze. Silent, except for the moments when the pain overtook me and the words, “My son,” escaped between convulsive sobs. For twelve hours, my family and I drove without speaking and I wrote like a fiend on the back of that envelope and then a napkin and then the back of an invoice from an oil change… Continue reading

When A Child Dies

When a child dies there is no play book for coping with such grief according to Dave Roberts, who became a bereaved parent after his daughter Jeannine died of cancer on March 1, 2003 at the age of 18. I met Dave at the annual Compassionate Friends Conference being held in Minneapolis this weekend.

I got the chance to ask Dave about his personal experience coping with the loss of a child and how he came to counsel other bereaved parents on their journey of grief.

Grieving The Loss Of A Child

When A Child DiesDave explained that the loss of Jeannine was… Continue reading