Crisis Support

All the pregnancy books casually warn you it could happen to you. They give you statistics, they tell you the signs, they discuss what happens at the hospital, they tell you it’s ok to feel sad, but you don’t think…
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Dr. Kevourkian Had the right idea. In this society we euthanize our animals to stop needless painful suffering. The question is why do we allow our loved ones to suffer so horrendously at their end time. Could it be the…
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This is probably one of life’s most tragic, terrible decisions: Your loved one is on the brink of death, and you’d probably know that the stricken patient wants nothing but immediate relief from this irreversible, vegetative state. The idea of…
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GONE FOR EVER In the year two thousand-seven on Christmas at around 2:45 AM my daughter in law died. She had been married to my son for about thirteen years, off and on through those years. I stayed with them,…
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After your parent dies, having to deal with your siblings is perhaps one of the hardest things you have to do. It could be far more difficult if you have no siblings and so forth. There is always the slim…
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I have very little that I can claim expertise at- I’m not a great cook, can’t hardly sew on a button and my typing skills are minimal at best. I am probably what one would call an averagely talented person…
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My sister miscarried twins in early spring, 1997. I remember coming from a history class at the community college, certain I had failed an exam. Our pastor was there, as well as my sister’s in-laws. Everyone was crying. Mom was…
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Funerals, as with weddings, are more about the guests than the participants. The only reason to go all out for your loved one’s funeral is to impress black dress socks off of the whole rest of the family, as well…
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Loving someone, sometimes means letting go. As painful as this is. No one but God and the person who is dying should have the right to make that choice. If a loved one is in a coma, or is brain…
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Grief is probably the one thing that we will probably be faced with more than anything else in our lifetime. From the time we are old enough to be aware of our surroundings, there is the possibility that we will…
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It was a cold winter day, when I received the phone call that would change my life forever. I was driving home when my grandmother called. She told me that the hospital had just called her, and told her that…
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What happens if you end up on life support? Do you want to be to be kept alive by any means necessary or just be left alone? An accident can happen to anyone at anytime no matter how healthy they…
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My father suffered with heart problems for nearly 25 years when his heart finally gave out and he died peacefully while sitting and having a cup of coffee. At the time my husband, my son, and I were living half-way…
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This is a sad subject, so please bare with me through my story. I was 18 and had everything going for me. Nothing but happiness filled me before the pressures of the world became apparent to me. The beginning of…
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I lost you one Sunday…. And the following week was hell to pay. I could never imagine the pain could be so strong. The fury of loneliness burned holes in my heart. My desperation fueled my anger. But the thought…
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Most times the best comfort someone can give a friend, during the loss of a loved one, is a listening ear. When I lost my own father, in June of 2003, friends and family tried their best to comfort me…
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Anyone who is a parent should not have to see the day they have to bear the loss of a child. So many emotions rush through the heart of a parent it’s though you will explode from the inside. The…
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There are many who would say that cowardly is a bit strong. This may or may not be so, but one thing is for sure. Suicide is definitely a selfish act, whether or not one calls it cowardly. I can…
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When I was a Freshman in high school I was elected as the First Freshman President of my high school class. You see the year I entered high school, was the 1st year that our high school had a Freshman…
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Life support is a very sensitive issue in the United States and to me personally. When Terry S. was a prominent figure in the minds of many people a round the world and that includes me. My heart went out…
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Carrying a child for nine months, you are full of hopes and dreams for your child. Experiencing childbirth, only to hear your child is stillborn, will leave you struggling for breath. That child who had kicked you and moved within…
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Making a Condolence Call. All of us, at some point in our lives, will be faced with death, grief and mourning. Either personally or through a friend or colleague, death is a part of living. Eventually, each of us will…
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GRIEVING PHYSICAL LOSS Medical professionals have, until recently, been somewhat remiss in recognizing people living with a major physical loss go through an intense emotional adjustment process very similar to those who have lost a loved one. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was…
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On May 15, 2000, I thought I might literally die from heartache. I threw myself onto the bed and sobbed until my sides cramped and I couldn’t breathe. My husband ran to the room, desperate to know what had happened….
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Being pregnant is challenging enough with morning sickness, fatigue, mood swings and just plain coming to terms with the fact that your body is changing. Unfortunately, life doesn’t stop to take into consideration that a new mom or mom again…
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My father was brought to this country by my Grandparents via Ellis Island from Italy in 1929. He was seven years old. They settled in an enclave of Italian speaking immigrants in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, the home…
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Helping a Friend through Loss and Grief I speak through my own experience from the loss of my husband, but it is good to note that no one’s experience is ever the same with grief. There is no right or…
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I sat in the pew stunned, outside myself, and empty. People moved all around me but I was unaware, even the sounds were muted as if coming through the glass walls of a bell jar. I had known for months…
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When someone dies, it is most comfortable, normal and easiest route, for people to say, “I’m sorry.” This is a short phrase that has been ingrained into our brains as a filler of words as if it was the make-it-better…
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Helping Children Deal with Death When a parent, sibling or grandparent dies, you are so overwhelmed that it is often difficult to know how to deal with children at the same time. Sadly, my children lost their dad when they…
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