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.
My Whole Family Is Dead - My Story
Today is a very special day. Today I reclaim my birth name, Niki, and share a few intimate stories of my life with you. I share them with vulnerability, rawness and love. As many people know, a little over 2 years ago I took on the name Jaya. Some of you know the true shift I went through during this time and how very REAL changing my name was. Some of you do not know of my name-changing journey and believed it to be "just a social media thing," but believe me, this was a choice that saved my life.
By Niki Cozmo8 years ago in Families
5,739 Steps to Her Last Breath
Five thousand, seven hundred and thirty-nine. That’s the number of steps I took the day cancer took you from my life. Statistics from the Canadian Cancer Society states that on average, 221 Canadians will die from cancer every day. And you Nannie, happened to be one of them on January 28th, 2017. Five thousand, seven hundred and thirty-nine steps. That number seems so small considering that day felt like an eternity. The steps I remember so clearly were the steps I took running barefoot outside to the car at the end of January. Although I had no time to put my old dirty white converse. I would simply have to put them on in the car, barefoot in the middle of a Canadian winter, it was. The drive to the hospital was excruciating. The car was full with whoever was at my house that night. My younger cousins were scared and screaming as we had rushed them into the car. The hospital is only a short drive from your house Nannie but wow did it ever go by so slow.
By Haley Steeves8 years ago in Families
The Worst Day of My Life
When I was 20 years old, I needed to figure out what the fuck I was doing with my life, or so my mother said. I was perfectly fine wasting away, with my shitbag boyfriend, Luke, wasting days to countless different types of uppers and some downers. I weighed a grand total of 95 pounds, soaking wet, and was barely eating. I would live my life around being fucking traumatized by being fucking raped that eating seemed like such a fucking trivial activity.
By Mickie Hoffman8 years ago in Families
Rainbow After the Storm
Miscarriage has always been kind of a taboo subject, yet one in four women go through miscarriage or loss of their infant. No one really talks about the pain, grief, guilt, or emptiness you feel, not to mention all the unanswered questions, like why did this happen? Was it my fault? There's the fact that you never got to hold your baby, to know what their life would be like, to even know whether your baby was boy or girl, the names you had picked out for them.
By Melinda Medley8 years ago in Families
The Most Tragic Event
I laid on the couch with my little sister, I was 7 at the time and she was only 4. We were of course, watching the same episode of Spongebob we had recorded on the TV that we’d watch every day after I got home from school. Snuggled up in our matching pj’s in our parents room, we ate our snacks and would fight over the blanket because someone always had more than the other. As innocent as we were, we had no idea what we were in for.
By Shay Gross8 years ago in Families
Daddy's Little Girl
For as long as I can remember, my dad was always going out of town for work. He'd leave the state and he'd leave the country. A lot of my memories of him were either him leaving for a business trip or coming back from one. I remember my 5th birthday. My mother asked if I wanted to celebrate my birthday the weekend my dad left for a business trip or the weekend he came back. Naturally, I chose the weekend he came back. I didn't want to ruin my 5th birthday party by being sad about my dad leaving, AGAIN. As a little kid, I had no idea how long he'd be gone. In a way, I guess I became accustomed to him not being around. I know it wasn't his fault, though. He was just trying to make a good living for his family.
By Katie Schmidt8 years ago in Families
Cancer Won, and I Think HE Cheated
I lost my mom to cancer in December 2010; I was 20 years old. I'm sure if you're reading this, you knew someone who has been touched by cancer. What am I saying!? You have known someone who has been slapped across the face by cancer. It sucks, especially if cancer wins.
By Erika Watson8 years ago in Families
I Wish It Were a Dream
Imagine one day waking up and having a loved one’s memory of you erased in the blink of an eye. It was a bright and sunny Friday morning in the month of May. She was just a small town ordinary freshman girl getting ready for a casual day of school. When suddenly she heard the most horrific, indescribable sound she had ever heard. In shock, she waited patiently hoping; praying for it to be just her mother yelling at her older brother for his TV being too loud.
By Hannah Blais8 years ago in Families
To Lose a Parent
To lose a parent, at any age, is no easy thing. There is no good time to lose someone you love, someone who raised you, cared for you, and gave you life. But we have no control over these things and, unfortunately, for many people losing a parent while they are still in their formative years is a reality.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Families
