Michelle and Greg Jr.’s Story:
…It was love at first sight when Michelle first met Gregory. Michelle had been happy, simply focusing on her career, but Gregory’s family-oriented nature changed all of that. “I was engulfed in that experience,” Michelle recalled. “I knew that it would be the best decision to be with him and have a child.” The bond between Gregory Sr. and Gregory Jr. began in the womb. When ‘Big Greg’ would come home from work, ‘Little Greg’ would happily start moving and kicking. So, Michelle was not surprised to see their unbreakable bond grow exponentially when Gregory Jr. was born in 2010. Gregory Sr. was so warm and compassionate with all his loved ones, that they all claimed Greg Sr. as their best friend. But if you asked Greg Sr.? “My son, Greg Jr.,” he would reply. “That is my best friend.”
On December 8, 2018, Michelle returned from a business trip, picked up Gregory Jr. from school and when they returned home, they were heartbroken to discover Gregory Sr. had suffered a heart attack at the young age of 38. “The trauma of discovering your loved one no longer breathing is hard to describe,” said Michelle. “Then there is the additional pain of realizing that you’ve lost your best friend and your son has lost his best friend and his father.” Gregory Jr. was only 8-years-old and took the death of his father extremely hard. He was not sleeping, crying for hours at a time, and questioning his faith. He asked Michelle, “Mommy, why would a God who loves us, take away such a great person from our lives?” “You explain to your child as much as you can on the level that they can understand,” said Michelle. “But at some point, you’re at a loss. You feel helpless. I didn’t have anywhere to turn.”
That is when a co-worker introduced Imagine to Michelle. From the moment Michelle walked through Imagine’s doors for an orientation, she knew it was the right place for her family. Michelle saw a spark of who Gregory Jr. was before his father’s death, and she felt a deep sense of relief seeing the potential of where they could be with the help of Imagine. “Healing happens at Imagine,” said Michelle. “And I was instantly comforted by that, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I knew that this was a place that would embrace my son, embrace his pain. It was transformative for me too. It took me from being in a place of despair to a place that I felt I can survive and that my baby could survive this.” Michelle and Gregory Jr. found a community of people who were coping with their losses together. And it made all the difference to them.
