As a teenager, the idea of loss is abstract. You know that no one lives forever but you still think you are going to grow up with everyone you love always being around. One day, maybe someone will pass away but that will be after a full lifetime of experiences with them. For me, that reality changed when I lost my father a week after my 14th birthday after his battle with cancer.
While loss is something everyone experiences, going through it as a teenager is all the more difficult when so few share similar life experiences. Coincidentally, mere months before I suffered the loss of my dad, my sister-in-law, Mindy, started the Children's Bereavement Center. I was initially skeptical of the idea of joining but, once I did, I experience true empathy for the first time--other kids going through the same thing as me was a truly powerful realization.
I grew from one of the original(-ish) members to being part of the first class of teen facilitators and have remained active ever since. Now, I am proud to sit on the board of directors to ensure the CBC continues on its forward trajectory of care and empathy for kids, like I was, who are experiencing loss far too soon in their lives.
I ask that you join me in supporting the CBC and join us for Steps for Healing on November 23, 2024, at Zoo Miami.
