New Support Group

Editor's note: The following letter I received a few weeks ago is the very reason I do what I do to help the bereaved. Receiving this letter validates what I say and write. I am leaving out the name and company for privacy, but I certainly hope his meeting turned out great for him and he, in turn, can help other parents who have also lost a child. I answered his letter and gave permission to use whatever he felt would be useful.


Sandy,

I am currently reading your book, “Creating a New Normal” and I am so glad you were able to put these concepts on paper. I lost my 25 year old son, golf partner and best friend on February 5, 2011. After going through the pain and struggle of getting back to living and finding my new normal, I found more and more people within my division of the company that were living with this pain. I started a small peer support group from that division which has approximately 10,000 employees. Our first meeting was February 5, 2013 and we had 10 people show up. In less than a year it grew to 30 members.

January 29, 2014, I am having the first Global meeting in Atlanta, and we are opening the group up to the entire company of 80,000 employees. The company has been very supportive of this endeavor and we are really helping people learn to cope with life after the loss of a child. As I was reading one of your chapters last night, I thought how great it would be to share this with the group. So I guess I am writing to ask your permission to use some of your material (credit given of course) to hand out at this meeting. Chapter 8 The Grief Journey: What you know, What the Future Holds is the chapter that spurred this email.

Thank you in advance and regardless of your answer I am so grateful you have written this book. It helps knowing that what we experience is not abnormal and that there is hope on the other side of this tragedy.