Before her father’s death six years ago, Isabela considered her life a fairy tale. “I’m not exaggerating,” Isabela said of life with her parents, Daniel and Susana. “These two people gave me the moon and stars. I was their everything. I was very sheltered and hadn’t experienced any childhood trauma.”
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Diana and Josh’s Story
Diana and Josh found their own path to healing through the Children’s Grief Center Two things surprised Diana when she took her sons to the Children’s Grief Center of New Mexico after her husband Tony died. She hadn’t realized she would attend adult grief therapy sessions while Charles, then 9,
Kathleen, Samantha and Jeremiah’s Story
Candy helped the Defnet-Nichols family heal after loss. M&Ms helped Jeremiah Nichols open up after his father, Kevin, died in a motorcycle accident. Jeremiah’s family began attending the Children’s Grief Center when Jeremiah was 15. He remembers a game that gave kids the chance to answer questions about themselves in
Deb and Cati’s Story
CGC helped Cati and Debbie find their own ways to process grief Cati has always processed tough news by talking about it. Cati’s dad died by suicide when she was six. The night her dad died, Cati asked Debbie: Who’s going to walk me down the aisle? The family’s close-knit
Andrea, Halen and Albrecht’s Story
Andrea, Halen, and Albrecht navigated loss through the community with the Children’s Grief Center Albrecht says the process of learning to talk about grief “felt kind of like a plant growing, sprouting into a flower.” Albrecht’s dad, Eric, died following a long illness. Albrecht’s family attended the Children’s Grief Center
Grace’s Story
The Children’s Grief Center helped Grace find language to talk about loss Grace’s father died by suicide when she was 13. Many of her extended family members didn’t acknowledge publicly that he died by suicide or the struggles he experienced before his death. Grace, her mom, and her sister learned
Loyola and Leslie’s Story
CGC helped family honor Daniel Garcia’s legacy Loyola’s son Daniel would have turned 18 this year. He would probably be bummed about missing out on high school rituals because of the pandemic. “He’s not going to turn 18, and we’ve come to terms with that,” Loyola says. Daniel died when
Sudhir’s Story
Sudhir D, “It helps pull you out of the darkness and back into the light.” Three days after Sudhir’s little brother Shiloh was born, Sudhir got permission to hold him. Sudhir remembers the little boy hugging him back. The next day, Shilohdied due to health complications. Sudhir remembers talking with
Alie’s Story
Alie B, “My mental health became a priority, I learned to love myself.” “A pillar of society” is how Alie B. describes her dad. His death came as he waited for a liver transplant, leaving Alie, her four siblings and Mom behind. With over 2,000 people attending his service along
Rachel’s Story
Rachel M, “The Children’s Grief Center gave me tools to be okay.” A sudden, freak accident changed everything for Rachel, her older brother, and mom late one evening in 2002. Her father was in the backyard with her brother testing out a bike ramp when he went off the edge
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