Greta's Run 5K & Memory Walk

June of 2022 my life shattered. Everything I imagined my life would be, was ripped away from me when my husband, my partner, the father to my two babies was taken from us unexpectedly. Mike went into the hospital on June 4th for pancreatitis, something we had experienced before. June 14th in the middle of the night, I received a call informing me that he was moved to the ICU.  One minute he was fine and the next he was no longer here…

The early morning of June 14th was a blur, but one thing I do remember was my best friend calling Imagine, and gained an understanding of what resources would be available to me and my children during this unimaginable and forever life-changing experience.

Mike was my everything and did EVERYTHING for his family. Besides living with grief, I wasn’t even sure how to take care of myself and of my kids. Yes, I did know HOW to do it, but Mike cooked for us, drove the kids to school, went food shopping, not because I couldn’t but because he wanted to take care of it all, to make it easier for me. 

I tried my hardest to be strong for my kids.  That is what you have to do but every day is a reminder of the life you don’t have with the person you thought you would be with forever. 

Jaxson and I met with the Imagine team during the summer right after Mike passed so that we could get started during the school year. While I was hesitant and unsure of what to expect, Jaxson was eager to meet people like him for me, this would make it all reality.

As the weeks went on, and we would meet with our group, I’ve come to learn that Imagine is a family. It’s a group of women and men all going through the same feelings of grief, all different kinds of grief, but all coming together in one place, to not be alone in this world.

Imagine is a place to help navigate milestones, holidays, and just everyday thoughts. It’s a place to help you figure out how to help your children, or even their teachers, handle situations you never thought you would be in.  It’s a place where the kids learn to feel comfortable talking about him daily as I always include him in our conversations.  He might not be physically here to watch them grow but they will know everything they can about the person he way. 

I have been coming to Imagine for a little over two years now. Last year, Zoe joined as well. This is a place my children ask to go to; they are excited on days we have Imagine, where they are able to see their friends and to be with people who understand and experience the same emotions they feel. They are always willing and wanting to share their experiences and be active in conversations with their groups and with others at Imagine.

Imagine has helped me and my family tremendously during this time of pain and grief. It’s been an outlet, a community of support, and a safe place for us to share and learn together with others.

Imagine is a growing and evolving organization, that began in Westfield, NJ, and serves families from over 57 towns in NJ.  Imagine provides free, year-round grief support for children and families coping with loss due to death. In addition to providing grief support at its two centers in Mountainside and Newark, Imagine provides grief education and training to schools, agencies, and workplaces, and on-site support after any traumatic loss. 

Greta’s Run was founded in memory of Greta Schoenemann, a Westfield High School freshman, who died from injuries sustained after a tree branch fell on her and her classmates during lunch. Her story, and the stories of many more loved ones we’ve lost too soon, are part of what makes Greta’s Run for Imagine so special.

Donate to our team to help Imagine provide free, year-round grief support to people dealing with the death or life-altering illness of a parent, sibling or child. With our help, Imagine can continue transforming grief and loss into resilience, empathy, and compassion for the 2,000 children and adults it serves annually.