Cumulative grief aka grief overload aka "holy crap I can't handle all this loss!!!"

Understanding Grief / Understanding Grief : Litsa Williams



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The other day we posted on the blog about different types of grief and we got a great comment pointing out a grief type we hadn't mentioned, cumulative grief. The commenter said “I read something a little while ago on cumulative grief, where people have experienced loss after loss. Do you have any info on that?” I started typing a response to the comment and it quickly went well beyond the length for an appropriate comment reply. Brevity is not always my strong suit.

There are several expressions in English that reflect the idea that when one tragic thing happens other tragic things sometimes follow:“When it rains it pours” (or in British English, “it never rains but it pours”) and some people believe “bad things come in threes”. I started wondering if this idea (and corresponding idioms) existed in other languages. Luckily a quick “phone a friend” to Google provided some quick answers. Turns out those in the English-speaking world are not alone.

In Hebrew, the phrase is “Bad things come in packages”.
In Swedish, German, Spanish, French and a bunch of others, “misfortune seldom comes alone”.
In Latin, “troubles are followed by troubles” and “the abyss attracts the abyss”.
In Polish, “misfortunes walk in pairs”.
In Japanese, “when crying, stung by a bee”.
In Chinese, “good fortune never comes in two; bad luck never comes alone”.
In Russian, “when troubles come, leave the gate open”.

when it rains it pours

Kind of a downer to see all these expressions for such a painful phenomenon, but I guess on the bright side it shows we are not the first to be overwhelmed by multiple losses (I know I know, a tough sell to find the bright side there, but I figured I’d give it a try). 

As wonderful as it would be to pretend that every time we suffer a loss we have time to process that loss and integrate it into our lives before we suffer another loss, these idioms found in languages around the world point to the sad fact that it is simply not the case. It is all too common that a death is followed by another death. Pain is piled on pain; fear on fear; the abyss on the abyss. This experience of suffering a second loss before one has grieved the initial loss is sometimes known as “cumulative grief”, “bereavement overload” or “grief overload”.

I can hear your question already: when another loss arises, how can you possibly know if you have “grieved the initial loss”? This is a tough question because grief is so individual for all of us. There is no checklist or timeline that works for everyone, as we have said time and time again. But one thing that is common to the many different grief theories out there and to the personal experiences of so many grievers is that grief requires time. Be it stages, tasks, or processes, we need time to attend to each loss. If we don’t have the time we need before another loss occurs we end up overwhelmed by these multiple losses and unable to give them the attention they need.

When we become overwhelmed by anything our mind kicks into an incredibly powerful defense mechanism, which is avoidance. There can be an inclination toward avoidance when experiencing just one loss, so it is not surprising that this inclination grows when losses are compiled on one another. Though avoidance, denial, and shock may seem like a really bad thing (and it can be if it is never resolved), it can be our body’s way of keeping us functioning in the short term. When we are overloaded with multiple losses, this avoidance allows us to maintain our day to day activities. What becomes important when losses have become cumulative is an awareness that we may need to make a concerted effort to begin the work of facing the reality of the loss, as this avoidance can’t continue indefinitely.

Unfortunately, there is no magic answer for how to cope with cumulative grief. If you have suffered multiple losses, either all at once or before integrating the previous loss, some important things to remember are:

1) Be aware of the risk of cumulative loss/grief overload. Knowing is half the battle! Just being aware that multiple losses in a short period poses unique challenges and can put you at risk for a grief process that is especially complicated is important. Cumulative losses do put us at higher risk for prolonged grief. If you are worried your grief is no longer ‘normal’ check out our post on normal vs not-so-normal grief. And don’t panic – even if your grief is more complex, there is help out there!

2) Be sensitive to other friends or family members who have suffered multiple losses and are at risk for cumulative grief. When we lose someone we become absorbed in our own way of grieving. We can find it difficult to deal with people who are grieving differently. Being sensitive to the differences between all grievers is important. This sensitivity can be especially important when someone faces the unique challenges of cumulative grief.

3) Be aware of the increased possibility of avoidance or denial in instances of cumulative grief. To make it through, one day at a time, you may find yourself more prone to avoidance than you have ever been in the past. This can also increase your risk of alcohol or drug use, as these substances can be tempting to numb pain. Maintain an awareness that you must ultimately grieve both (all) of the losses. Professional support may be a good idea if attending to the grief of these losses is feeling impossible.

4) Keep in mind that time is not the only factor in cumulative grief. Though it may be tempting to assume that bereavement overload only occurs when deaths occur in immediate succession, this is not the case. A loss that was never fully attended to years before can be brought back up by a new loss and can be overwhelming.

5) Substance abuse can increase the risk for cumulative grief. When abusing drugs or alcohol, people are prone to avoid grieving. Using drugs or alcohol to numb grief can result in never fully grieving losses. This means that when a person stops using drugs or alcohol they may face multiple losses that they failed to grieve over the course of years or even decades. Once someone stops using drugs or alcohol they may find themselves facing multiple losses from the past that they avoided with substances, and hence experiencing grief overload.

6) Age can increase the risk for cumulative grief. As individuals progress into their 70s, 80s, and 90s they may find themselves experiencing the deaths of friends and family members more regularly than earlier in life. This can put them at a higher risk for cumulative grief. This is without even considering the other losses they are prone to, like loss of home, independence, and identity, as well as the fact that their grief may be minimized by society if those they lose are elderly (read about disenfranchised grief here). Due to a stigma around seeking professional support, some people in this age group may still have a strong aversion to seeking counseling. A little therapy never hurt anyone, but if therapy doesn’t seem like the right fit, seeking other types of grief expression and exploration is important for people in this age group.

7) Grief is as unique as each person we lose, so we cannot rush grieving multiple losses. Though it can be tempting to think that grief is grief, and we can lump our grief work together if we have multiple losses in a short period, the reality is that we must grieve ever loss individually. Grief is not generic to any loss but is specific to each person we lose, our relationship with that person, and the circumstances of that loss. Attention must be spent on each loss in order to integrate them into our lives.'

8) Cumulative grief can put a greater strain on our faith. One devastating loss can be difficult enough and can cause us to question our faith in a higher power. When someone suffers multiple losses, this feeling can increase. People can begin to feel they are being punished (remember Job?), have a harder time resolving a benevolent God with all the pain they have seen and felt, or struggle with repeatedly experiencing ‘bad things happening to good people’. This is certainly not true in every case of grief overload. Many will continue to find strength in their faith (again, remember Job?), but it is important to know it is normal if your faith shakes as a result of grief overload.

9) It is important for hospital, hospice, and other healthcare professionals to be aware of cumulative grief. Like compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, the experience of building relationships (even professional relationships with appropriate boundaries) with patients and repeatedly experiencing the death of those patients can take a toll on healthcare providers. Though the grief of professionals may take a different form than friends and family, it is important for professionals to grieve these losses to avoid developing an unhealthy avoidance or detachment. Check out some info on self-care that isn't totally unrealistic.

If you have had multiple losses, pretty pretty please consider some professional support. Just give it a try. You may be surprised by how much it helps. When you are already emotionally and physically exhausted from the pain of one loss, it can only help to seek support when more losses pile on. If that truly doesn’t feel right for you, consider other ways to attend to each of your losses. Learn about grief. Find a friend or family member to talk to. Write or journal. Find a creative outlet, like art or photography. Join a support group. Just make it something that works for you and that will allow you the opportunity to deal with each of these losses. And remember, even if the abyss attracts the abyss, tomorrow is a new day and hope springs eternal.

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258 Comments on "Cumulative grief aka grief overload aka "holy crap I can't handle all this loss!!!""

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  1. Erin Johnson  May 7, 2023 at 10:54 pm Reply

    Where do i begin, 3 years ago I lost my grandma carol along with my uncle Paul and my grandad the next year my dad got diagnosed with lung cancer so after already not having time to grieve all those losses more bad news. So after thinking things couldn’t possibly get worse my grandma Janet who’d I see every single day took a turn for the worst with her bowel cancer, she got diagnosed in 2016 but chemo helped her, after not being able to help her anymore she was getting significantly worse, she got rushed into hospital on my birthday so I wasn’t even able to see her she then passed away a couple months later at the beginning of the year 2022 then my grandma Janet’s best friend rose passed away a month after I’m convinced my grandma took her away to relieve her of her suffering and then a few month later my uncle mark passed away, then at the beginning of 2023 I lost my aunty catholine which was a long 4 days it took her to pass away in her care home she was suffering so much god rest her soul and then a few month after right now my grandad Alan has passed away so now dealing with that death and unfortunately I got told my dad only has a year left to live so I’m currently spending every moment I can with him too

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  2. Elise  May 1, 2023 at 9:46 pm Reply

    I loss my mom from cancer and my only sibling a younger brother in 1990 violence, then my young son in 1992 due to illness. Between 2003-2006, my favorite aunt and dad. I lost a best friend who I considered a sister who I never had in 2013. In 2016 my husband passed from PC. Then in 2019 my cat companion passed in 2019 at age 15. I had her from 6-8 weeks old. I’ve had other losses but I dream about one or the other.
    Since 2014 I constantly have dreams almost every night of my loved one. They are just with me standing around in a familiar place from a long time ago. They don’t speak and at a certain point at the end of the dream, they just disappear. Why do I have these dreams? Why can’t I dream about something else or not dream at all? Sometimes I’ll get a break from it for about a month, but it starts all over again.

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  3. Robert D  April 30, 2023 at 6:32 am Reply

    My wife’s father died in July 21, 3 months later my mother died, 4 months later my sister died.. 4 months later my father died. My wife started drinking heavily. She lost her job and car. I then lost my job and car. She died in Feb this year of liver failure caused by the drinking. I literally have no one left. I don’t function well anymore. But I can certainly talk about grief. Days go by where I don’t know who I am crying for. Thankfully I am getting professional help. Never challenge worse I am discovering, it always can get you.

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  4. bob clow  January 8, 2023 at 4:23 pm Reply

    not addressed to one person, but when deaths is avoidable, dont care as much as when it is random chance.

    and 4 deaths? not many – over 220 thts is cumulative,

  5. Hannah Hipp  October 27, 2022 at 11:16 pm Reply

    December has always been a awful month for me I lost my paternal grandma the day after Christmas pretty traumatically and was there to witness it when I was 4, and 4 years later my paternal papa papa passed away when I was 8. Through out that time I had been to several other funerals of church members who brought me up. BUT this /cumulative grief/ happened When I was in college in 2017 I lost my Nana in December. She had been suffering from congestive heart failure for some time, but decline quickly after a tumble. Then the following December after that I lost my Nanny ruby (step daddy mama) in 18 and then, in 2019 I lost my step daddy in December as well. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought I finally was getting through this but my fiancé grandma just passed away (we’ve been together for 8 years) two months ago and today I found out I lost my god father papa bill. I’m only 24 and I’ve been to more funerals then I can count on my fingers and toes

  6. Grayson  September 24, 2022 at 12:23 am Reply

    well last year my grandpa died from dementia and he was my only grandpa and that same year my uncle died from colon cancer and then my grandma died my favorite one too and then my cat died of a tumor and old age and it just keep piling and im so tired and then my parents got divorced i didnt know why i didnt even see it coming and it turned out my mom cheated on my dad which sucks. now my dad has lots of issues and i would say he acts different and more violent i guess but that doesnt matter much he gone through a lot. i try to keep friends but they all seem to move which sucks i also lost my xbox because my dad destroyed it and now i do worse in school and i dont really know how to cope it seems like everyone is dying i just hope i can help other people because that makes me happy. okay well goodbye see yaa

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  7. Stephanie D  September 17, 2022 at 12:48 am Reply

    So so happy my therapist recommended looking at your page! I lost my husband, my little brother and brother in law in a car accident last year…what made things even harder was I was pregnant with my husband and I’s first baby… 6 months pregnant. Becoming a new single widowed mom and loosing my little brother was definitely not the way I imagined I’d be ending my year. It’s been over a year and I have yet to think or even try to process my brother dying too. It’s been too much to bare with and I couldn’t understand why I was reacting this way when I loved them both so much. Your blog was literally a description of who I’ve become! I cannot express how much comfort this post has brought me. It’s so comforting to have your emotions validated and normalized. Loved but more than anything APPRECIATED reading this!!

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  8. Allam  May 19, 2022 at 1:26 pm Reply

    I lost my dad then lost my job and as a result I was surrendered and need to give a way my puppy that I raised when she was 3 weeks old and we lived together for the last 2 years and also sold my dream car. Returned back to my home country to stay with my very sick mom and left my dreams in much better country for my business where I lived more than 8 years. I don’t know what else I can grieve. It is more than hell how I feel. I hope I find a joy in anything for just few moments 💔

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    • rapi  January 24, 2023 at 5:53 pm Reply

      i totally understand how your feeling. ive reached out to help in many various forms and found it a struggle. Im replying to your comment as it resonated with my feelings for so long but i really want to say in this age of mindfullness and positive psychology, i have stumbled upon some tools in my efforts to help myself after feeling so let down by the help and resources that often seems so inadequate. Dont get me wrong counselling and talking therapy has helped but in terms of accumulative grief (just hearing that phrase) helps me acknowledge and identify what ive been going through, but my point is i came across this page whilst attempting to self help my situation as i just felt the level of counselling ive experienced wasnt enough to deal with my ‘accumulative’ grief. the site that led me here was positive psychology whilst i was looking into more information and help than you find on the high street regarding the power of gratitude. After going through so much even hearing those words grattitude initially in my experience was a negative response but as ive read more and more about the subject and watched various videos films and websites watching all the freebies on self help, things like unsinkable and the growing awareness of meditation etc, its all starting to come together and make sense. its just unfortunate that most of these tools for the public self help cost so much or on the other side the resources are often available only to practitioners, healthcare workers etc and again the public often doesnt benefit if they reply on public healthcare systems who often dont seem to be aware enough of them. i might add as most of the services ive accessed im finding so far they are lacking in providing tools for real change or even awareness of accumulative grief, but please check out the website as they have a wealth of information and free tools that can potentially change that feeling of ongoing hell to a much easier place. Im only just starting on my journey to heal after so many years searching for help, i just wish that it hadnt taken so long and that i had to search and implement the actions myself rather than be guided by health professionals who i wish had been equipped with the tools im seeing on this site. sorry to go on but if your anything like me and some of the other people commenting that ongoing hell can be a matter of life and death. so i just wanted to point the site out as I assure you from what im discovering through my own research on these sites there is a brighter future, even if we have to find it ourselves or point it out to our therapists. Whats helpful is it the science is now there to prove it too. If i was younger id seriously consider investing in training in this field of positive psychology as so far its been rare to find an understanding and clarity and wealth of information that makes sense of it all as ive done on the site and its links and i have absolutely no vested interest in the site positive pshycology i literally just stumbled on it tonight and wish i could print off everything ive read so far. (theyre are free printable but theres so many that i think can help me its a bit overwhelming hence my wish that more therapists were aware of the resources. Anyway i wish you the best of luck and sorry if this reply was a bit rambling x

  9. Jill Canavan  March 16, 2022 at 1:54 pm Reply

    I lost three children in one day. Two sons ages 14 and 20 and a daughter aged 18. That’s it. There are no words.

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    • Lisa  March 17, 2022 at 12:27 pm Reply

      My heart is with you. 💗

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    • Raven  April 8, 2022 at 2:32 am Reply

      Jill,

      I don’t know if you’ll ever see this. But I lost my mother last year to cancer, my grandmother to cancer, one of my best friends died suddenly and tragically and my grandfather was murdered.

      I am so so sorry about your babies. I broke down on my bedroom floor tonight because I miss my mom so much. I can never understand your pain but please know your kids miss you and love you just as much as I love my mom right now.

      Maybe in some weird way I need to tell you that.

      It’s unfair. And I’m so sorry.

      R

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      • Elenianthis  April 10, 2022 at 4:52 pm

        Hi Raven,
        I am so sorry for your losses!!
        Even with all your pain and grief you have such a beautiful caring heart to send a caring and kind message to someone else who is in pain. Bless your heart!!
        Please hang in there and know you are not alone. I am thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers. My heart is going out to you. I wish I could of had a mom who I could love and could love me the way you had your mom. My biological mother is still alive but has never been a mother to me or my siblings… that was my older sister who died a few years ago. She was my sister, my mother, my friend etc.
        I am so very sorry for your losses.🙏
        I am gonna attach a poem a friend send me who lost her sister and who is also grieving… I thought of you when I saw it.
        Much ❤️
        Kindly,
        Eleni

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      • Elenianthis  April 10, 2022 at 7:28 pm

        Raven,
        Here is that poem my friend had send me.
        Both her and I feel that connection when we see butterflies about our sisters.
        It’s amazing how something or someone would remind us of our loved ones. A certain smell, a food or something that brings up that feeling inside us and makes us feel those sad and happy tears and we remember them… we miss them so much… maybe it’s them doing that to let us know that they are ok and happy and we need to be ok too… at times it’s good to think of it that way.

        “Some of you are unaware of just how amazing you really are. The way you make people laugh, lift others up, or spread some extra love. You do this even though you are struggling too, and I think it makes you such a BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING” 🦋🦋

        Again I am so sorry for all your loss.
        Eleni 🙏

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    • Dottie  April 10, 2022 at 11:28 am Reply

      Jill, my heart feels for you💔There are no words😢So don’t hold back the tears. I have list a son 12 years ago & a daughter last year, both were age 34. This time around along with reading profusely, journaling, I attend virtual support groups and have individual therapy. I’m list, devastated, broken hearted, and more😢I hope you have someone to lean on.
      I was so angry I went to the Rage room twice and may go again. So sorry 🙏🏽

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      • Litsa  April 11, 2022 at 8:48 pm

        Dottie – thank you so much for your kind words to Jill. I just wanted to comment that I love your idea of going to a rage room! I am not sure why I have never considered suggesting this to people, as many childhood bereavement centers have “volcano rooms” where kids can let out their anger. This is exactly what rage rooms are for, yet I’ve never thought about it as useful and not just something people do for . . . fun! Just typing that it sounds silly now – it is so obvious I am sure many do it for the reason you described. I just haven’t put 2 and 2 together. Thanks for the wonderful idea!

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      • Elenianthis  April 12, 2022 at 4:04 am

        Hi Dottie,
        I’m so deeply sorry for your losses. My heart goes out to you💗 I agree with Litsa about your kind words to Jill. Bless your kind soul that with all your pain you are so caring to offer kind words to Jill and also suggest something that could help us all deal with that anger grief we all might be dealing with. I had just seen about those “Rage” rooms on the news last week or so… I have never went to one but I would love to when I get better. We all need to express that anger from our grief somehow. I also loved when my daughters and I attended a grieving group… haven’t been to one since my older sister died cause Covid hit and went through with loosing almost my older daughter. She is out of the blue again today sick and can’t breath and so am I,
        hopefully we didn’t get Covid… it doesn’t feel like that for me but a very bad asthma attack non stop but she keeps telling me that her lungs hurt and feel again like when she had those blood clots…so I gotta take her back in. Hope you stay safe and healthy and thanks for bringing the “Rage” rooms up to us all🙏 Hang in there
        Sending much love and prayers!
        Kindly,
        Eleni ❤️

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    • Elenianthis  April 10, 2022 at 5:50 pm Reply

      Jill,
      I am so sorry…I don’t even know what to say or how to say it so I’m sorry for how I word things.
      I have no words to express the sadness and pain I feel reading your message about losing your babies. I can’t bare to imagine going through that and the excruciating pain you are feeling.
      Your precious children are still with you and you always have them with you carrying them in your heart.
      When my oldest daughter almost died, I felt like was loosing my mind. I still wake up at nights to go check up on her and see if she is breathing… she is now 20 years old and maybe they took the blood clots out, and she stopped taking blood thinners for now but she has to wear compressions for life and there is always the danger that she can die as doctors told us from Covid or even a simple cold due to her extreme one in a million case of this syndrome she got with Covid and meds they put her on etc. my 15 year old is doing better from her heart issues but when they both had to undergo iron transfusions she came so close to dying again from an allergic reaction to the iron infusion. Of all cases my both daughters have severe allergies to foods, environmental things, meds etc and many times I feel as is my fault because of my immune weak system. I have said I can go through anything and everything but if I lost my kids I would literally fall apart and die. Loosing my second sister was the breaking point for me… she was like the mother I never had. She basically raised me and my siblings. Things that mattered before don’t matter anymore… but there is hope even when we feel lost, alone and I’m so much grief. Someone at a grief group I once attended told me about the story in the Bible about “Job” who lost everything and the devil told him to curse God and just die but he didn’t do that… I don’t know if you are a religious woman and I dont want to talk about it if you are not. But even ppl who are with God at times …doubt God. Many times I have asked “why” and I have cried and cried and screamed at God… I still feel pain and anger… I mean why does He allow us to hurt and allow our loved ones to hurt, die etc ?! Truly I don’t know the answer to that… at times I want to believe that there’s a reason for everything in this life…
      You are in my heart and prayers🙏
      Again I’m sorry if my wording is not right I dnt mean anything bad by it. I’m in a lot of physical pain with tumor I have last 5 months that at times I don’t realize how my words might come out. Also English is not my first language.
      Please take care and hang in there.
      Sending love and prayers.
      ❤️Kindly,
      Eleni

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    • Sharon  July 13, 2022 at 11:15 pm Reply

      Jill I am so very sorry for the loss of your precious children. My prayers are certainly with you. I lost my only 2 sons and my heart is crushed. Like you I’m speechless and can barely talk some days. I know your pain. I pray GOD gives you and us the strength and help we need.

    • John R  August 10, 2022 at 9:51 am Reply

      Hi Jill, my name is John I have twin boys Trevor and Troy I lost Troy in 2007 in July in a drowning accident and now on August 4 I lost Trevor in a car accident, my mother passed away August 5 a day later from an illness, im heartbroken and after reading about your loss I have no words to express your loss ,i,m praying for you and will keep you close to my thoughts and prayers

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    • Kim  October 7, 2022 at 12:49 am Reply

      Sending my love, Jill

    • B.E.  July 23, 2023 at 2:14 pm Reply

      I am so so sorry to you all. in this passed year I find the only people I am communication with are people I met in my grief group. The only people I felt understood me. you are all the ones I feell understand the pain. WE all do. I am sending everyone understanding in my heart. I hope so so deeply we can find happyness in our hearts. even if it seems too impossible a dream.

      I am so sorry.

  10. EILEEN S  March 13, 2022 at 11:41 am Reply

    I am finally glad to see someone address this issue. I lost my youngest son suddenly when I was 40, he was 20. Seven years later I suddenly lost my only sibling, my brother. My Mom, who always supported me, had cancer, she died 7 months after my brother, and my Dad, who was an angry difficult person (but he was my Dad and I knew he loved me, right after my Mom’s death, he was diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer. He died 2 years later.

    I wasn’t really close to my cousins, but have reached out to most of them in the years since (None live near me) my aunts & uncles have passed. My husband has been in the military & is not warm & fuzzy. My oldest son & only child left had been my most difficult child. He only had one daughter, my only granddaughter. She is the light of my life & has been. But she is now 19 & living her own life.

    The emptiness I feel is still with me 19 years after I lost my Dad.

    The losses came all together & I turned 50 when my Dad was in Hospice.

    I have not found ANYONE who has experienced so many losses and has very little support like me. Everyone has multiple family members left and no one seems to understand the emptiness. Their lives are busy with family. I have had multiple health issues, one right after the other (probably from suffering multiple losses while going through memopause) most have been joint issues, neck, carpal tunnel, back, shoulders (both replacements) two knee replacements now my back again. Constant pain has followed. But some other health issues causing fatigue have been addressed & I finally have my motivation back & am starting drawing and beginning s pet portrait business. But am still trying to cope with loneliness.

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    • Litsa  June 4, 2022 at 8:22 pm Reply

      I am so sorry for how much loss you have had to cope with. There is a memoir you might appreciate called Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala. Her parents, husband, and two children all died in a tsunami. She was with them but survived. It is a very intense book, but may be helpful in hearing the experience of someone who has experienced so much loss. You can find the book here.

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  11. Sosuke Aizen  March 3, 2022 at 8:04 pm Reply

    OK everybody so I need you to listen to my story and take it with a grain of salt. I’ve been with my girlfriend now since February 2012 it is now March of 2022 For some inexplicable reason 1 of her family members dies dies every 3 months or less. This has been reoccurring the entire time that we’ve been together at 1st I kind of played it off saying man your family is your family is cursed by voodoo doctor something but my girlfriend is starting to become grief stricken from the continuous deaths of members. Most deaths are cousin’s aunts and uncles. And the deaths are not all natural some have been old age some have been car wrecks some have been murdered some have been covi’m having covid some have been cancer some have been Strokes and heart attacks. I’m starting to think that really is something supernatural going on I mean how can it be like clock work do you know how many people have died in the last 10 years Over 40 people what the h*** can someone please give me some of their thoughts and suggestions on how I should console my girlfriend friend and I’m serious about this next part. if you know any strange way to Maybe help out in this situation Please post it.

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  12. Stephana  March 3, 2022 at 12:01 pm Reply

    Hello….I’m writing because in 3 years I’ve lost my closest friends…I still have 2 good friends but they live far from me. One just died in January…I spoke to her 2 days before she died.It was shocking and unexpected.My other friends died of cancer and a stroke. What is hard is that it isn’t tat easy to find really good friends.These were friends I’d had for many years.I am 67. Like many of us we have that handful of friends we truly love and trust…and now they’re gone. I reach for the phone to call and realize I can’t.
    I don’t talk about this since we’re all living through post pandemic stuff and no one really wants to hear it..so what do you do? I try to stay engaged and busy but I feel very lonely inside…I do have a wonderful husband but don’t want to burden him . I know this is a part of life…but it’s hard when it happens in a small period of time.I’m a pretty strong person but this last death really hit as we were very close.She was like a wonderful older sister to me.We called each other every Sunday…The lack of connection really hurts.

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    • Eleni  April 10, 2022 at 4:42 pm Reply

      Hi Stephana,
      What a beautiful name you have!! In Greek it means “garland”or a “crown”.
      Your message really got to me especially where you say “ the lack of connection really hurts”… I know how you feel and I’m so very sorry. It is so hard to share with our husbands or our children how we feel, what we are going through. My husbands new job requires him to travel as he works for this company that transports patients to hospitals by helicopters. Now I feel more alone than I have ever been but even when he was here I felt alone however I kept more busy with him around and our 2 daughters doing things that I didn’t noticed as much as I do now. Especially since my health is bad again. My heart is going out to you but know that you are not alone and you are in my thoughts and daily prayers! You are such a strong woman, I wish I had a beautiful friend like you.
      I also do remember calling up my sisters and talking to them about everything and anything… everyday and now I can’t do this anymore. Some days I drive alone, I talk to them(ppl might think I am probably crazy) lol … then other times I see butterflies or something that has a butterfly on it and I know that is them telling me that everything is gonna be ok and they are there and they love me… You see the thing about the butterflies is that when my younger sister died I found in her stuff butterflies, they were on her clothes, her jewelry, her hair stuff etc I didn’t even know she loved butterflies so much. After that I started to come across butterflies everywhere I went. My other sister who at the time was alive had a saying that the butterflies was a sign or a connection between all 3 of us. When my older sister died unexpectedly at 40years old, I engraved in her headstone 2 butterflies one for her and one for our younger sister who is buried next to her. I had a dream about them and I saw em in a garden and there were butterflies everywhere and the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen …it was out of this world but when I asked my sister if I could go with her when she had to leave… she answered me that I couldn’t… it was not my time. Even with all the pain I feel from my grief at an early age I am trying to be at peace. It’s is hard most days but we don’t have to do it alone. There are amazing and kind people in this world who care! God always sends us people in our path. He is always there for us.
      Thinking of you and sending you all my ❤️
      Kindly,
      Eleni

      Ps: Please excuse my English dictionary as English is not my first language.

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  13. Jxx  January 12, 2022 at 5:33 pm Reply

    Never considered cumulative grief until physiological symptoms. Looking back, had much grief as young child. Never had positive support, etc.; always ‘pushed past’ to keep moving. Became accomplished but never recognized and often attacked. Family of origin and remnants of it difficult; wanted own family, but none. Gifts of skill, insight, love ignored or attacked by those close; always moved past pain that seemed to stop others. Try to focus on blessings, but tidings of multiple past pain remain and new ones come, and there is no resolution. Was verbally attacked by my counselor, no more of that. Feel bad about dumping my garbage here. Keep movin’ on.

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    • Fer  February 5, 2022 at 11:57 am Reply

      Please don’t feel badly for sharing here. If this isn’t a good place then…. Some of us resonate with parts of your comments. Your comments help dissipate my frustrations from experiences resulting from attempts to find a therapist who wasn’t just going through their training manual checklist. It can be infuriating.

      My next stop will be a psychologist for reasons above. If that fails, or I run out of cash, I may just write a book.

      Btw: a therapist’s required certification for suicide loss includes only one weekend of an estimated 17 hour class…. I tried to get in but the program told me it is more important to educate the therapist and not the people who suffer.

      With an approach that “only” requires a weekend resort based class for certification and the industries 100% ignorance toward helping those who suffer… it is no surprise that a “therapist,” is useless.

      People are being forced to pay outrageous sums to become educated to help them with their own suffering of multiple and traumatic losses.

      Until actual care is the focus, ( opposed to who based titles and financially biased education), we will continue to see more people out of work, on the streets and the multiplicities of distinctions that can respect from such traumas.

      Few, such as yourself, are so functional.
      … and I am not trying to say some ignorant point like, be grateful , so please do not read me wrongly.

      It is what it is…. However, those of us whom ACTUALLY have suffered are those who should be educated to help via prevention.

      An arss backward society no doubt.

  14. Rachel Casso  January 5, 2022 at 3:00 pm Reply

    Both of my husbands grandfathers who I had been close to for 17 years died within 6 months of each other. My Dad was murdered August 14,2020, just 4 days after one of the grandfathers. My grandmother died a month later. My uncle who I have very close to died a year later, then I lost my dog if 13 years who was my best girl. Now, 17 months since the beginning of the losses my other uncle is hospice and won’t make it much longer. I just feel like sometimes it is all just goi much. No support system, I feel like I am going to lose it anyway now.

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  15. Connie Christenson  September 21, 2021 at 9:05 pm Reply

    I have lost all my siblings and my parents, grandparents, all aunts and uncles, I lost my entire family except a few cousins and thankfully my children and grandchildren. Everyone I grew up with. It was one right after another until I was 60. It started at 31. Most of my relatives exception of three passed before 60 years old. A few much younger. Anyway I was so glad to see this article describing my grief. Cumulative Grief. I feel less alone.

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    • Elenianthis  April 10, 2022 at 6:21 pm Reply

      Connie,
      You are not alone!!
      I am here listening to you and everyone in this article going through so much pain and grief. My heart goes out to you. I am truly so sorry for all your losses.
      I have lost so many since I was only 5-6 years old and it’ has been death after death… at times I felt as it was my fault maybe something I did but I know it’s part of life and we all are born and we all die some day. I used to be not afraid of death but the more people I loose and also that now I am sick once again I am afraid of death and leaving my daughters here all alone with just their dad. I know I can’t think like that. Grief is the hardest thing that any human can bare to handle.
      This article has helped me so much… reading all the stories from all the wonderful people who have lost a loved one. My heart goes out to you and everyone in this article.
      Please hang in there and know that your children and grandchildren love and cherish you as much as you love and cherish them. I wish I had a mother and a grandma like you.
      I feel as this article has brought all of like a family to support each other!
      My love and thoughts go out to you!
      Kindly,
      Eleni 🙏

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  16. Roxanne  September 11, 2021 at 7:28 pm Reply

    My losses stated in March 2011 when my husband was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. Then in Dec 2011 my mom dies suddenly. Then my husband passed away 26 Feb 2015. Then my best friend in 2017. Then my brother 3 Dec 2018. Then one of my sons, he was 37, died of cirrhosis in Sept 2019. Then 28 Oct 2020 my oldest son died from a motorcycle accident.

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    • Elenianthis  April 10, 2022 at 6:51 pm Reply

      Hello Roxanne hope my message finds you safe and healthy.
      There is no words to express how sorry I am for all your losses.
      I can’t bare to even put my mind on how much pain you must be feeling… loosing everyone you love.
      I wish there was a magic wand that could take this pain you and I and everyone is going through away. People always tell me… time heals all wounds?! I do believe as time goes by pain lessens but it ll never go away. At times when I hear that saying it angers me because I think as people don’t care or understand my pain and grief how dare they say that?! I know that they are only trying to help. They just don’t know how to.
      My rock and hope has been my 2 daughters and husband but I know that even that can go as I almost lost my daughter about a year ago… and she ll never be out of the woods with the blood clots she got from Covid and the syndrome she was diagnosed with. While going through my own sickness, my both daughters health, my husbands loss of job and struggling to get by…I started to pray more and the more I focused on reaching out to others and see if I could anything to help, I focused less on my pain and grief. I can’t say it took my pain and grief away but it brought happy tears to my eyes that I could do something for someone else even if it was so small.
      Right now I am sick again with a tumor on my foot this time… I am angry and asking God again why another sickness… what did I do to deserve this… but nope I am not going to give up even if I am afraid I know that I have to think positive and fight to get better.
      Please know that you are in my thoughts and daily prayers.
      Stay strong and hang in there!
      Much ❤️
      Kindly,
      Eleni

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  17. Laura  August 4, 2021 at 1:37 am Reply

    My kids and I are dealing with their father, GMA, GPA , aunt all dying within 6 weeks of each other from covid.I will prob have to get my son in extensive therapy.wish us luck

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    • Elenianthis  April 11, 2022 at 9:12 am Reply

      Laura,
      I wish I could do something to ease your kid’s but also your pain. You are such a caring mom that you didn’t even mention about your pain and grief but only your children’s.
      I wish I had a caring mom like that.
      When my sisters died my mom said” well you and your brother are not hurting as much as I do…you don’t feel the pain I feel… I have not raised you but I was there the last some years and I still gave you birth…and you remaining kids owe me to take care of me… etc ” I was so deeply hurt and so angry at her I couldn’t come to terms of speaking to her… but my therapist talked to me and told me sometimes ppl say things when they are grieving they don’t truly mean. But those comments continued for years and years… some before my sisters died and some even after they did. My mom is very toxic and she would always try to pin us siblings against one another… I dk why she had so much jealousy and hate of the love my sisters and brother shared. We reconnected with her again after over 10-12 years that she had left us. She was a completely stranger cause I was 4-5 years old when she left us to our sick and abusive father to raise us on his own. I would stop talking to her for a bit and then back to the same thing with her gossip and badmouthing our dad to us and one sibling to the other. I rember when she looked at me at my little sisters funeral and bragged about how much money she spend on my sisters flowers but the last draw that truly got to me was when my older sister died and she and my so called of a step dad used her death saying how they had to cover her funeral costs so they can get money from people… I lost it and called them out on that. My step dad called me ugly names and hanged up on me while my mom did nothing… that was it for me. It is unspeakable and so unholy that they used her death to get money from ppl. Then they tried going through my husband and then my older daughter to come between us and cause drama and more chaos. Nope my husband shut them down and my daughter gave them a chance at first but then also realized her self and told them that she would always love them but she could no longer have a relationship with them because it wouldn’t be a healthy one. I know the day my older sister died it was the day I lost also my best friend and my true mother.
      I don’t hate my biological mother but I want nothing to do with her. I pray she is well but far away from me, my daughters and my husband.
      The love and care my siblings didn’t get from our mother since she left us at a young age I try to give to my daughters since the day they were born. I love them with my whole heart and soul.
      You are such a strong woman and mom and I am very sorry for what you and your children are going through. My heart goes out to you and your children and I ll be thinking and praying for you.
      Sending love.
      Kindly,
      Eleni 💗

  18. lauraoneal441@gnail.com  July 29, 2021 at 2:54 pm Reply

    I just lost 4 members with 8 weeks from covid

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  19. Eleni  May 23, 2021 at 9:10 pm Reply

    First death I ever saw was a very close friend of my dad I was like 5-6 years old. He hanged himself. My dad used to loose it when he would go manic and would try to kill us all. At times he will grab us and try to choke us or had guns and I always lived in fear with my siblings. I wish I was a strong role model for my little sister and tell her not to leave her 3 young children and end her life the way she did. Even of she didn’t shoot her self she was already done by all the pills and alcohol she had taken. I can’t even tlk about it without crying and it’s been over 8-9 years ago. And I can’t even call up or text my older sister anymore. I hope and pray that they are at peace.
    All of the ones we all have lost. Again I’m really sorry for our losses. Hang in there. I am hanging in there also. Reading your stories I feel your pain and just know you all gonna be in my prayers. Wish I could something to help. No one can take our pain or grief away… but gotta hope that God or a Higher power can make it better.
    My love to you all.

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  20. Eleni  May 23, 2021 at 8:41 pm Reply

    I am truly sorry for all your loss.
    My heart is breaking and I’m crying for you all as I’m crying alone in my room. Trying to hang on and let God help me hang on. All I feel is pain physical and emotional.
    So much grief I can’t bare it.
    I hang on for my 2 daughters and husband and my brother who is the only one left in my family.
    My younger sister committed suicide years ago. My whole family suffered and suffering from her death. A year before she took her own life my dad dad from cancer. I thought he was the one who would be the one who would go by suicide cause that all I saw with my siblings as a young children who were abused and living in poverty in Greece before moving to USA. But he raised us the only way he could. So I thank him for that.
    I tried killing my self but I survived cause I realized it was wrong and I heard someone calling me by my name and telling me to go get help. It was a mans voice. I was in a comma after going into a cardiac arrest but survived it. It was years before my dad and sister died. I was in a loss of a baby I didn’t keep my husband now put me to abort. Can’t never forgive my self for it.
    I went to therapy for years and I was hanging on until my sister did what she did. Ppl told me life goes on… well then a lost a friend in the shelter I lived while going through custody issues with my husband now. Years later my 2 uncles died and my grandparents and another close 3 close friends. But if that wasn’t enough my sister died a bit more than a year ago. She was like my mom. She took care of us while growing up with my dad and I would always call her for anything. Now both of my sisters gone I feel lost and no matter how much time passes by I can’t stop hurting.
    But if that’s enough I come from such disfunctional and sick family I stay away with my husband and kids.
    Thought this was enough until my health starte to turn for the worst in 2014 after a head injury I got at my job… then after that I have had more surgeries and biopsies and car accident. Then Covid came and my older daughter almost died. She got blood clots that moved in her lungs and my younger daughter started to have heart problems. Then a week ago my husband lost his job after 21 years wrking. So I say what s next? I don’t think I can handle anymore. I feel so down and so beat up I’m not sure how much more I can hang on… the physical and emotional pain I feel.
    Why can’t I stop crying… pain never goes away. Listing to my Greek music and crying and asking God if there’s ever gonna be a better day? Why His ppl feel all this pain and grief and loss?!
    Thank you for reading my story.

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    • Sheri  August 20, 2021 at 8:27 am Reply

      Eleni, Im so sorry for everything you have gone through! You are a strong woman who has endured so much and it has made you into a strong woman who can weather horrendous storms. You may not think of yourself that way but its true. Keep hanging in there and draw strength from your kids and keep pushing forward. You are not alone, lean on others who have gone through grief and keep talking about your experiences. Thinking of you and sending you good thoughts.

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      • Eleni  April 10, 2022 at 2:13 pm

        Hello Sheri,
        Hope my message finds you safe and healthy. I can’t believe after how long I saw your message and it brought tears in my eyes. Can’t thank you enough for taking time out of your life to write me those kind and compassionate words!! God bless you!
        My oldest daughter pulled through and she is off the blood thinners and she is doing better. She has her bad and good days. My youngest is also much better. My husband found a great job helping people and saving lives. The day we went to celebrate my daughters recovery and hospital writing an article about her unique recovery I tripped and fell at an uneven cracked sidewalk of this establishment… to make my story short I hurt my self. Went to doctors, did physical therapy and thought I was slowly healing… only to recently find out I have a tumor/mass on my foot. Doctors don’t know what it is so they want to do another biopsy. I told them I just want it out of my body and they can biopsy it afterwards. I know I ask God everyday why all this pain, suffering and grief is happening to me but I know I gotta focus on the positives that God is giving me and understand that everything has a purpose even those bad things we go through. There is always way worse and reading what is everyone going through I know what I’m going through is nothing.
        Just want to let you know you have made my day reading your message!
        Sending you much love.
        Take care💗🙏

    • Jada  January 9, 2022 at 7:34 pm Reply

      Today I had to go to my aunts funeral 🥺 um.. 4 months ago I lost my uncle by a heart attack and thank right that a month later my favorite cousin passed away from sickle cell and than my 2 aunts that got killed by a 18 wheeler in a accident and than my aunt from today’s funeral and then my friend passed away last year and we just got a call yesterday night saying my aunts brother had just passed the day before his own sisters funeral and than my dad just got a call saying his homeboy’s mom just passed

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  21. Susie B  April 20, 2021 at 1:25 am Reply

    Grief fatigue

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  22. Brittany  March 4, 2021 at 10:36 am Reply

    Three and a half years ago I lost one of my best friends, Autumn. We were best friends through high school. After high school, she began to use hard drugs and so our friendship faded. Although we weren’t as close as we once were I still held out hope that we could one day be best friends again. Then I found out she passed away due to complications of an infection. I have a suspicion that this infection was related to her habit of shooting up. Her family chose not to have a funeral service or even a memorial so I never got to say goodbye or gain any closure after her death. About half a year later my Dad got sick and was in and out of the hospital for the next six months. This ended with him dying at home after choosing to stop dialysis. My dad had survived heart attacks, a stroke, open heart surgery, hepatitis B that caused his liver to fail, and kidney failure just to find out about two weeks before he died that he was told by a doctor that he was 99% sure that a lump that had developed on my Dads neck was cancerous. Once my Dad found this out, I think that he lost his will to live so he chose to stop dialysis and died of kidney failure. Six months later my best friend and adopted brother Drew dropped me off at work and borrowed my car to go pick up some supplies. It was a rainy morning and as he drove down the interstate he must have hydroplaned because I was told that the car went all the way through the median head-on into a tractor-trailer truck on the opposite side of the highway. The impact totaled the car and my best friend survived only long enough to die at the hospital. He was cremated and although we had a service, I wasn’t even allowed to read what I had written to eulogize him or play his favorite music. No one eulogized him not his mother nor his many biological brothers and sisters. To this day I don’t understand why I wasn’t allowed to speak at his service. After two years of grieving my best friend, my father, and my adopted brother my Aunt Vicki passed away. Just a little over a year later my Mom passed away on November 17th, 2020 from acute myeloid leukemia. We had no idea she had leukemia or how long she had it. I received a call from my little brother late one evening that my Mom had fallen and couldn’t get up. We quickly came to her rescue. We found her in a semi-conscious confused state and she was unable to walk. We carried her to the car and took her to the ER where I sat with her for over 14 hours before being transferred to a better hospital. Overall my Mom spent 7 days in the ICU trying to fight off sepsis. In the end, my brother and I held her hand while her heart slowed and stopped. I have been a trainwreck ever since. All of this loss and grief over the last few years have fundamentally changed me as a person. To lose the majority of my immediate family in such a short time feels so unfair. I am not yet 30 and I’ve lost so many loved ones. I have good days and bad days but on the bad days, I feel like life is so pointless it’s hard to go on living without them. I often wallow in my own self-pity. I have no family or friends who are there for me so that makes it even harder to cope. Luckily I do have an amazing husband, the one good thing in my life but I’m now terrified of losing him because he’s all I have left that’s worth living for. We hope to start our own family soon but I have mixed feelings about that because all my Mom wanted was to be a grandmother and she never got to have that experience. I feel like I robbed her of the joys of being a grandparent so even usually happy moments such as trying to get pregnant are tinged with sadness and regret. Since I have no family or friends to share my feelings with I turn to articles like these to help me cope. Reading everyone’s comments about their own losses brings me comfort that I’m not alone in my feelings. It feels good to tell my story and share my emotions regarding my grief.

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  23. Emma  December 30, 2020 at 9:05 am Reply

    It was a year ago yesterday I found my brother unresponsive and had to give CPR but in all truth I knew it was too late. What I found out later was he had suffered a heart attack in the early hours. I feel guilt from not going to his flat sooner because we had arranged to have tea at our parents with my fiancé and children. My brother never turned up so on our way home I dropped my family at home before going too my brothers flat and I just knew something was wrong. He had medical things such as diabetes and Epilepsy which would have weakened his heart but I’d always managed to help him in time before but our luck ran out that day. It will be the second anniversary of our Auntie passing in January and 6 months since my Uncle passed. Most of the time I just feel
    Numb about it. Then I think about how shit 2020 has been and the fact my brother hasn’t had that too deal with but ultimately myself or my family never got too say good bye too him. The only bright side is he was happy Christmas 2019, he had been at mine with the family for Christmas Day, he was an amazing uncle to my girls and the night it happened he had been out with a mate playing pool a d had a drink or two. I feel guilt because I should have gone too his flat sooner, I felt mad that day that he had more than likely done what he usually did and missed his bus or train and would just stroll up a few hours late, this wasn’t unusual for him. I got it most times because I k ew how hard sometimes he struggled but then other times I just wanted him to be more responsible and look after himself a little better. I may never forgive myself for not being able to save him and help him when he had the stroke. In all truth I prob wouldn’t of even bee at his flat so early in the morning as they suspect his stroke happened between 1am and 3/4am. I have looked at help but due to COVID nothing has come from it not a single appointment a d the first contact was made in about July time. I am feeling so very lost and can tell it’s slowly effecting me and how I am with my own little family. I want too be brave for them but sometimes I feel I get cross so easily. My fiancé wants to listen but I find I can’t or don’t want to talk about it with him because I’ll break down. I guess I just am looking for advise on where I need to look for further help and guidence .

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    • IsabelleS  December 30, 2020 at 3:34 pm Reply

      Emma, I am so sorry for the multiple losses you’ve been forced to experience in such a short period of time. My heart goes out to you. It sounds like you are taking the important first step of realizing that you may need some extra support. It may be helpful to look for a therapist trained in grief and bereavement, which you can find here: https://grief.com/grief-counselor-directory/ All the best.

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  24. John  December 22, 2020 at 12:32 pm Reply

    I lost my brother 17 years ago, he was 22, My Grandmother 17 years ago, Best friend 19 years ago, he was 21, step father who more of a father than my biological father 16 years ago, he was 59 and my mom 10 years ago, she was 58…. At times even today, it kills me. I handled it very well, according to many friends and even counselors but deep down I am a mess. I had a very rough childhood, physical and sexually abused by my father and uncle. Even those things, it doesnt bother me on the surface. Im not emotionless, I just dont show it to people.
    Back to my point, I feel like at times, who do I grieve for? How do yo grieve for everyone at the same time? At times, Ill thin about my brother and what it would be like for him to be here. Tomorrow Ill think about my step dad and then my mom, sometimes all of them and then its just break down. If I talk about it or write, like now, I break down. I also went through a period of drugs and pills to cover the pain, a decade ago. I lost my home, custody of my daughter, job, vehicle. I was homeless living on the streets by 32. 10 years later, I have a better job, bigger home, several vehicles, a wife, 3 step kids and custody of my daughter. Lookiugn at all this together, I have absolutely NO idea how I have made it this far. I have been contemplating suicide since I was 8 years old. I am 42 now. I am not scared of death, just the idea of nothingness…..
    Anyway, I really didnt have a question, just felt like writing this out…..

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    • IsabelleS  December 28, 2020 at 11:12 am Reply

      Hi John, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been forced to endure so many losses. My heart truly goes out to you. What do you think it would look like to “be ok”? You seem to express that breaking down every once in a while is a sign that you are not okay. This reflects a common belief that we are not “better” until we no longer have bad days. In reality, however, we must understand that–when we’ve been through difficult things–there will ALWAYS be moments during which things resurface and become difficult all over again. This only becomes problematic if it seriously interferes with our ability to function on a day-to-day basis. You sound as though you are handling things very well… so give yourself some credit where credit is due! If you are ever seriously contemplating hurting yourself, or even if you just need someone to talk with, please call the National Suicide Helpline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website where you can do a live online chat https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ Also, just an FYI: Every time someone mentions a history of abuse in a comment, we follow up via email. Please keep an eye on your inbox for an email from us! All the best to you.

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    • Elenianthis  April 10, 2022 at 11:27 pm Reply

      Hi John,
      I know you might not ever read but hoping you do. I do write a lot as I have with many others who have shared their stories…
      My heart truly goes out to you. I feel the same as you do everyday. I am now 42 about to be 43 on May 8 and I am like…where and how all these years go by? We take life for granted when we are young and we don’t think about death… even when I thought about suicide from a very young age cause that’s what I learned from my abusive father growing up I wasn’t afraid of it or how much pain and grief it ll cause to everyone who I left behind. PLEASE don’t… I think of it many days and now more than ever that I’m struggling with this tumor they just found on me recently…but I won’t ever try to take my own life again!!
      I gotta hang on for my kids(they barely listen to me and my oldest lately tells me that she can’t wait to get as far away from the family and live on her own)it hurts to hear that but I know she gotta live her own life just as I have and we all do…my husband (even if I can’t stand him most days…lol) my brother, my sisters kids and many ppl who would miss me and really hurt if I’m gone. Most days people are too busy or occupied with their own lives to take time to even just talk anymore but it doesn’t meant that they don’t care. Everyone is struggling in their own way.
      I know that we can’t live for everyone in this world but for our own self first… (my good therapist had told me this. He is a very wise man. We talk from time to time and keep in touch but he has retired a few years now) You got to start living for your self, love your self. Get to know you. God loves you… He loves all of us. I know it’s hard to believe it especially with all the pain He allows us to go through we all doubt if there is even a God or a higher power. I want to believe that there is a God and there is good cause if there wasn’t we wouldn’t be here right now. I believe everything happens for a reason and at the right time. I saw this counselor right after my sisters suicide and he was an angel send from heaven to help me deal with her suicide but also helped me with all my other struggles. He would always tell me he didn’t do anything it was all me… he always told me I was a strong individual and I have been since I was very young but truly inside I feel very broken and very alone. I try to focus on helping others and that just makes me smile. I am still grieving my little sisters suicide everyday because the day before she took her life I was gonna go visit her with my daughters and try to talk to her because we had a fall out for a few months and we weren’t speaking… but I knew after a dream I had that I had to talk to her… reconnect with her I felt like something was wrong. I should of had listened to my gut feeling and not turn around while driving to her house because my husband called to meet up for dinner… He told me you can go see your sister tomorrow… “there is always tomorrow”.
      In that case no there was no tomorrow cause next morning my sister was dead. Only a few months before she turned 30 years old. Leaving her 3 kids with a letter under her bed I found… gun on the night stand etc. Same thing with my other sister who I had spoken to her only days before her surgery and our mom at the time had told me that she did ok and she was perfectly fine but again my gut feeling told me that I needed to call her… I never did… I said what if I just wait for a few days?! Again I was in shock when they call me to tell me her daughter found her dead in bed in the morning. Only 40 years old. Not sure if she died from surgery going wrong or if she also ended her life because of the physical and emotional pain she was dealing with.
      Life is so sort and even with all this ugliness, pain and darkness there is so much light and love.
      You are a very strong man to endure so much pain so don’t give up. Keep fighting for your daughter and for your family but mostly fight for your self. You are a survivor! God loves you and I can say even if I dnt know you personally I care and love what happens to you. We are all family and it hurts to hear of your pain and struggle to hang on.
      You are in my thoughts and prayers!!
      Sending love.
      Kindly,
      Eleni

      Ps: And as Isabelle says if you ever thinking of suicide or need someone to talk to…the National suicide line does help. I have called it a couple times after the time my oldest sister died and I had no one to talk to. One thing that stayed with me that the person on the other line told me that is that …wait even if it’s one more night or day you never know what the next day brings. I know we can’t live like this and in these days with the pandemic and the war overseas, everyone is more afraid and in more panic but we are strong and we ll be ok. Again hang in there! ❤️🙏

  25. Dawn  December 14, 2020 at 6:38 pm Reply

    I just started getting your emails. Do you have anything, any advice, on grief following a traumatic, violent death, of a loved one who was murdered. During this pandemic and trying to function alone is beyond hard. No one understands….

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  26. Chandra Worth  December 10, 2020 at 5:39 am Reply

    I have read many stories here that are so similar to my story. First I would like to say I can relate to each and every one of you. On December 9, 2020, I lost my mother to her long term illness. We owned a salon together and worked side by side for many years. On October 11, 2020, I lost my sister, who was 9 years younger than me to her illness. She passed away at home while on hospice. I took her in to live with me 5 years ago and due to space issues We shared the master bedroom, I traded out my California King for 2 twin beds. That was probably 5 of the best years of my life. And Last night my chihuahua (Skip) Passed away under my bed, but not without fighting for every last bit of air. Heart failure. I feel helpless. And I just took the test for covidyesterday… I am literally just bouncing around. I don’t know what to do….. Wow!!!!. Anyhow, I was looking for a memorial wind chime to honer my family , and I ended up here, with all of you. If anyone here and I mean anyone, needs to talk or unload or WHATEVER, please feel free and reach out to me. Thanks for listening . I have love for all of you.

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    • IsabelleS  December 11, 2020 at 10:12 am Reply

      Chandra, I’m so sorry for the multiple losses you have been forced to endure. You are so strong to be handling things with such grace. Thank you for providing others with the opportunity to share. People like you truly make this community all that it is!

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    • Pamela MacD  February 20, 2021 at 11:44 am Reply

      Sorry for your losses. On October 28th, 2020, I brought my mother home from the hospital to receive in-home hospice care. She was only given two to three days to live. Then on November 1st 2020, my mother lost her battle with congestive heart failure and Covid-19 pneumonia. Three days later our beloved chihuahua died in our hotel room from congestive heart failure. He had had a final seizure. Then 29 days later my stepfather died. Can understand your cumulative grief. Mine comes in waves at times. It just hurts and I know that grief is a road that has hills, potholes and sometimes a detour. Take ❤ care.

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    • Elenianthis  April 11, 2022 at 3:23 am Reply

      Hi Chandra,
      I just wanted to say how amazing you are.
      Even with all your grief for your loved ones and the pain you are going through you are able to open up your heart to others … you are so kind and so compassionate. God bless your heart!!
      I am so sorry for your losses my heart goes out to you. I can relate so much when you say how you shared your master bedroom with your sister… it must be so hard for you… being so close to her and then loosing her. My heart aches just writing this cause it brings tears in my eyes… I think of my sisters and I miss them so much. I feel your pain… I am truly sorry. I hope you are safe and healthy and you are doing ok. I apologize for not seeing your message sooner but it has taken me some time to come back here and write … I have had a lot of health issues and so was my daughters. It has been a very hard year…but I’m praying and hoping things would get better for everyone. The isolation and distance and so much loss from Covid is so hard on everyone.
      Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers!!
      My love to you.
      Kindly,
      Eleni 🙏

  27. Karen.rogers115@gmail.com  December 6, 2020 at 7:12 am Reply

    Well here goes. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and successfully. Challenging of course but it’s just one of those things. What has happened since has knocked me sideways, and every which other way. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2017 and died in January 2018. My little brother was diagnosed with terminal cancer a few weeks later and died. In April 2018. My mother died of Alzheimer’s in April this year (2020). I am well aware that I have not been able to properly grieve any of these losses. I’ve been the one who’s had to deal with everything and stay strong. It’s been a privilege to do so for my family of course. Then the final straw has been the disappearance of our beloved, adorable cat a month ago. He is only 6 and the cutest cat I’ve ever known. Now I’m a gibbering wreck and I don’t know how to move forward. It’s just all too much. Any informed advice would be welcome.

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    • IsabelleS  December 7, 2020 at 10:27 am Reply

      Karen, I’m truly so sorry for the multiple losses you have been forced to endure. You’re right–You likely have not been able to properly grieve any of these losses. I recommend you seek out the support of a counselor/therapist trained in grief, which you can find here: https://grief.com/grief-counselor-directory I hope our website/community shows you that you’re not alone. All the best to you!

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  28. Ken  October 18, 2020 at 9:48 am Reply

    Hi . Im sorry for every you have lost family and i too have lost many in a short period.

    First would be my grandmother in 99 that really didnt hit as hard as otheres but still hurt .
    Then my 2nd oldest sister out of 8, Which im am the 8th child . She passed right in my arms due to a overdose. In which i was the only one who tried to help her in fighting her addiction.
    And that took a toll on me because i went into a spiral of drinking every day to numb the pain thinking it was my fault in 04.
    Then 2011 my father who i had been in prison most of my life, that was released the year my sister passed and was just starting a new relationship with passed due to medical reasons .
    Then my 3rd oldest sister passed 2 weeks father my father in a hotel fire due to negligence on the hotel fire system in which i was omw to her because she called and said her room was on fire but when i got there i was to late and had to identify her .
    Then in 2013 dealing with my wife being incarcerated and me raising 3 kids and having help from my mother and in the days that followed she passed in her sleep due to natural causes, which was a really hard time for me especially because i had to handel the arrangements my self and stay strong and still tend to my children so i held my grieve in as well .
    Then 2 years later dealt with a hard divorce and had agreed for her to raise are children and everything else . which crushed me .
    And then the 2 years later lost my awesome brother who lost his long fight with depression and other metal problems. And during that i felt numb and didnt cry much , everything felt heavy and didnt really feel much at all at that point .
    Then rekindled a spark with my ex wife and relocated just to find out it was all a lie and was forced to leave the kids and in a state where i knew no one and had no one for 6 months then to top it off Covid 19 hit .
    Theres days i sit and just bust in to tears and dont stop . I feel no urge to have any emotional attachment to anyone anymore and people are misunderstanding me not acting like I care about others instead of my fear of losing another person I love and in this thinking it has affected my life dramatically emotionally and financially in every other way.

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    • IsabelleS  October 19, 2020 at 11:14 am Reply

      Ken, I am so so sorry for the multiple losses you have been forced to endure. You are so strong to have gone through this. I want you to know that what you are feeling–your fear of becoming attached to and losing someone else–is normal and valid. I hope this article has communicated to you that you are not alone in your experiences. All the best to you.

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    • Chandra Worth  December 10, 2020 at 5:53 am Reply

      Hi Ken. Your journey has been long. I left a lot of details out of my post. But I get it. And I know your going to get through this. It sounds like your the ` Go To Person ` in your family. You the fixer and so family naturally gravitates to you. I’m the go to person in my family. It’s a hard title to hold, but you were chosen to be the leader. If you want to talk let me know. If not that’s ok to. You just keep on keeping on. God will guide. Take care.
      Chani

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  29. Joe  October 9, 2020 at 1:20 am Reply

    I think the term helps like others have mentioned. Who knows. My cumulative grief spans 4 years— almost perfectly spaced out. I’ve lost 4 of the closest people to me in tragic sudden events. Every time I start to believe I’m entering the acceptance stage, it strikes again.

    My best friend died in Dec. 2016 at age 31. Sudden metastatic melanoma. We went on a bestie trip to Puerto Rico- had a blast. Dead a few weeks later out of nowhere.

    My mother who I was SO close with died at age 60 Dec., 2018. I arrived in my hometown to pick her up to bring her to live with me in another state, and she suddenly died that day of undermining heart and/or lung issues.

    Last week, (Early Oct. 2020) I lost 2 beloved people on the same day in a tragic plane crash. My amazing father (age 61) & my dear first cousin (31). My father was an experienced pilot and picked my cousin up in his small plane (she was my father’s brother’s daughter). He was bringing her back home for my Grandma’s 90th birthday, which was that day.

    I’m clearly in denial right now about this last one— What is happening? Why? Who is next? I am 34 years old. I can’t do this anymore. Someone wake me up please.

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    • IsabelleS  October 9, 2020 at 10:52 am Reply

      Hi Joe, I am so sorry for the many losses you have experienced. I can only imagine the tremendous pain you are enduring… My heart goes out to you. It is so normal to be in denial–and even to feel numb–in moments like these. I suggest you check out this post: https://whatsyourgrief.com/feeling-nothing-during-grief/ You may want to seek out the support of a therapist trained in grief, which you can find here: https://grief.com/grief-counselor-directory/. If you are thinking of hurting yourself, or even if you just need someone to talk with, please call the national suicide helpline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website where you can do a live online chat https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

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      • Joe  October 9, 2020 at 2:03 pm

        Thank you IsabelleS for your kind words and suggestions. I am lucky to have a wonderful therapist and life partner/soulmate. Grief comes in waves in such weird ways. I will be OK. Wishing you well.

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    • Sad man34  October 18, 2020 at 8:59 am Reply

      I totally feel what your going through .
      Ive lost 6 close family members in a short period and in the mists of my mother passing and had to deal with the fact that i basically had no one but my self to grieve due to my wife being incarcerated and had children to be there for.
      Then 2 years later go through a divorce then 3 years later lose my very close brother and still had no one but my self and had to hold in my grieve.
      So im sorry you have to deal with such lose and i wish i knew how to help but i dont . All i can say is, you have to let the pain go and find someone to be there to share it with who understands and sticks around for the whole process , because short reassurance just feels like losing again.
      Hope you find away to cope and just know your not alone.

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  30. Tiffany  September 8, 2020 at 8:38 pm Reply

    I have lost 3 family members in the last 3 and a half years. A year before my first family member died I lost my life long best friend very suddenly. I am only 36 years old and now I think about death much more than most my age. I don’t have friends anymore and I think it’s because i am so busy just trying to live day to day I don’t have the extra energy to put into a friendship, or multiple friendships. I have a fiance who I love very much, but now I am always afraid that he, or my remaining family are going to die. If a text goes too long without being answered I feel myself going into a panic attack and thinking that something awful has happened. I have also become very anxious about my own health and I’m way more afraid that I am going to die than I should be, or that is normal. When I’m driving alone, or with my fiance, if any car even looks like it’s going to cause a wreck in our general area I freak out. I feel like I am always waiting for the bottom to drop out again. Like, if I relax it’s going to hit me again. I know logically this isn’t normal, or healthy, or rational, but it’s too overwhelming for me to control most of the time. This last loss was my only Uncle and it was incredibly sudden. He wasn’t old and he wasn’t sick. I had just seen him. I couldn’t even cry this time. Not when I got the phone call, or at his funeral, or the grave site. It’s not that I don’t feel it, but it’s like I don’t have any tears left. Or maybe it’s my bodies way of protecting me from losing my mind. I honestly don’t know.

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  31. Taffy  July 18, 2020 at 7:00 pm Reply

    So my husband of 50 years died of cancer 2 ½ years ago. Then I decide to move a year ago from my forever home. My son helps me as he is my best friend. The on 3-10 he is killed by an out of control driver on the side walk next to his apartment. His Puppy is alone in his home. Skip to the beginning of the covid19 pandemic and my daughter and I need to move him out of his apartment. I felt chest pains and knew it was a heart attack. Everyone said it’s just a panic attack. But I knew better, however the virus was upon us should I go to the Er? No went home alone. 3 am. Called 911 Heart attack. Rushed to hospital. Actually had a stress related cardiomyopathy. Stayed 3 days and after 2 mos of worry and no care due to virus I am fine. 4 mos of wondering and no care due to virus.
    Now I am alone no husband, no awesome son and daughter in Connecticut with her own family. So I’m still alone. I’m a new place and a new state. It’s difficult, been walking 2-3 miles a day but now have a stress fracture and can’t walk. Very depressed but hanging in there. So I’ve got Husbands death, move from forever home (which had complications and was brutal) then moved nearer to my son who was killed by an out of control driver in front of his condo. Then COVID 19. So how do I survive this. I’m alone. A few good friends but I’m alone. How do I cope ? Help

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    • Koni  September 3, 2020 at 5:28 pm Reply

      Hello Taffy,

      I am sorry about your losses. I read your message and I am with you in thought. I know it may not make you feel less lonely but please know that someone out there read this and cared deeply about your predicament. I can only speak as a child that has lost her mother and say that if things were reversed I would hope my mum would continue and find small joys in her everyday life and think of me and smile every once in a while, even if that took a while. I hope things have been a bit better since you wrote your message.

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  32. Miranda  July 3, 2020 at 6:56 am Reply

    Very GOOD advice, but in the REAL WORLD it doesn’t pan out that way. I LOST 3 members of my family within 16 weeks. My father, followed by my youngest sister (who was also MY BEST FRIEND) within 8 weeks, followed by my mother 12 weeks later. My middle sister died the following Christmas. There is ONLY ME LEFT. I have NO FRIENDS, NO FAMILY, NO NOTHING. Following the UNEXPECTED AND ALMOST SUDDEN DEATH of my youngest sister, my mother’s relatives SHUNNED me. They GATECRASHED my youngest sister’s funeral and made FUN of the service at the internment. I received NO support from them, NO sympathy, I was RIDICULED by them inside the cemetery and they ALL IGNORED me. Not ONE ex relative offered support, comfort or sympathy and it was QUITE THE OPPOSITE AND HOSTILE. My mother was too ill to attend my sister’s funeral even though she wanted to go, she was PREVENTED from attending my sister’s funeral by NASTY NHS staff. There was absolutely NO understanding nor sensitivity towards myself, my mother nor my surviving sister from the NASTY EX RELATIVES, we were ALL COMPLETELY IGNORED. I have since DISOWNED THEM. I have had absolutely NO contact with them at all since April of 2016 and I have NO desire to contact them and they haven’t contacted me either. Since that time, TWO of the instigators of the laughing and ridiculing of me have DIED THEMSELVES, I discovered this via a different channel and when I discovered this information, I felt NOTHING at all, as I vividly recall them MOCKING me and LAUGHING with joy when they gatecrashed my sister’s funeral. I am sorry they have died actually, not because I feel anything as I am sorry that they can NO longer think about the NASTY acts that they committed inside the cemetery following my youngest sister’s death and I wanted them to THINK ABOUT THIS NASTY DEED that they committed for a very very long time and it didn’t work that way. I have absolutely NO sympathy for their immediate family’s relatives as they have HURT ME TOO MUCH with the despicable acts that they performed inside the cemetery that tragic day. So just to reiterate – MY EX RELATIVES were NOT SUPPORTIVE, NOT COMFORTING, DEFINITELY IGNORING ME and that is DESPICABLE AND DEPLORABLE BEHAVIOUR, so your good advice doesn’t always work.

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    • Litsa  July 5, 2020 at 1:58 pm Reply

      I am so sorry for what you have been through. We know that, unfortunately, people often do not have a supportive family or friends. We talk on our site a lot about finding “grief-friends”, which we know is also not easy, but can be helpful when you find yourself without a support system. Looking for grief support groups in your area can be helpful. If you are in the UK (I assume, from mentioning the NHS) the Good Grief Trust is a fantastic resource for finding grief support, be that a group or an individual counselor. I am so sorry that your incredible losses were made worse by your family.

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    • Anna  November 5, 2020 at 2:37 am Reply

      Oh Miranda, I feel this.
      An Aunt mocked me at my mothers funeral in December 2019 and the residual anger is extraordinary.
      I’d reach out to you personally if I knew how.
      Lots of love
      Anna x

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    • Chandra Worth  December 10, 2020 at 6:14 am Reply

      OMG,,,,, I’m sure we’re somehow related to the same extended family members… No Joke… Until just recently these family members were not the caring people they were portraying. I really had no idea that this part of my family were evil. Plotting hateful people. And I have no idea why? It’s like someone just flipped a switch. Talk about poor timing to reveal your Tue identy. You are smart to cut them off. They are toxic for you. I am truly sorry for all of your loss. Please stay true and be strong. I’m here if you need anything. God Speed.

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    • Wayne  December 23, 2020 at 6:03 am Reply

      Hey Miranda I completely get were you coming from I also lost my entire family in a short period of time and I get fucked family members so I want to say your statement about them that hurt you was great the deserve hell for gate crashing your sisters funeral that’s just wrong and you sound like a awesome person so fuck them all people like that are miserable anyways and they always will be so anyway I hope things get better for you and your right good advice don’t mean shit in the real world so I literally always think the worst is going to happen just incase I mean I want it turn out good but not always the case so stay tough and keep being awesome.

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  33. Jack  July 2, 2020 at 12:31 am Reply

    My grief I can’t focus on it it started on the 4th of feb & now on the 27/6/2020 wiz the 10th death of family members & all young from 63 to 31 how do I grieve I feel nothing from my mum to my son to my niece I need help why can’t I grieve am I made of stone??

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    • Litsa  July 2, 2020 at 7:47 pm Reply

      Often times so many losses can cause an overload or shut down – it isn’t uncommon. A counselor may be able to help you process some of these things in a way that allows your brain to “feel” things a bit more. You may also want to check out this post https://whatsyourgrief.com/feeling-nothing-during-grief/

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  34. Ava M.  June 25, 2020 at 3:11 am Reply

    Cumulative Grief….. Where do I begin??? I totally understand all the comments and life stories on this topic. My heart goes out to everyone living & still grieving. I have lost my entire immediate family (parents & siblings) and countless relatives, most were due to a rare hereditary illness….. entire decades of family wiped-out! Thank God I was spared, but I now suffer from “Survivors Guilt”. I find it extremely depressing and hard to move on in life, but I have learned to accept it. I keep telling myself that “Death is a part of Life”…. but I still struggle with that phrase and finding happiness with my own husband & children. Holidays, special occasions, milestones & birthdays are the hardest. I don’t have anyone to reminisce or share family stories with (my kids weren’t afforded the opportunity to meet or know those lost). I keep wondering when or who will be taken from me next??!!! I’m a good person….. What did I do to deserve this???!!! I know bad things occurring in life isn’t based on me being ‘good’ but it’s hard to understand the “Why?” factor! Death after death almost cost me my life 9 months ago….. I couldn’t deal with all the loss and wanted to end it all in order to make the pain stop!
    I’m in weekly counseling and taking antidepressants. I still have my moments of extremely sadness, but I’m glad to know that there’s a term for what I am going through…. and that I’m not alone. Thank You for this article.

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  35. Sabrina  May 31, 2020 at 12:25 am Reply

    I’m 64. At 29 I was driving with 6 children age 6. One was my daughter and one was my niece. I hit a car stopped on the highway. 2 children died, my niece was one. I buried the experience deep. I was divorced within a year. Met someone new, got pregnant. Gave birth at 42 weeks to a stillborn son. At 34 my father died of cancer and we buried him on my birthday. At 39 my sister died of cancer. At 45 my mother died of cancer. At 56 my daughter gave birth to my stillborn granddaughter. At age 59 my niece (sister to the niece that died in the car accident) hung herself. She was 35. A month later my husband ( who I was separated with) committed suicide by taking an overdose of oxycodone and alcohol. In 2018 I moved to Paradise, CA and on November 8th I was trapped for 4 hours in the town as it burned around me and my daughter. We lost everything. EVERYTHING! My brother now has cancer and is in the last stages. He is the father of the niece that died in the car accident and father to the niece that committed suicide by hanging herself………Sometimes it’s hard to breathe.

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    • Meg  May 4, 2021 at 2:23 pm Reply

      I feel for u. I really do. My losses started 18 months ago

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  36. Alan  May 17, 2020 at 12:43 am Reply

    It’s helpful to read what others have experienced. It’s also helpful to know that there is a term for what I am going through. I am looking forward to learning more about cumulative grief. My mother who was an only child passed away in 2002. I became the primary caregiver for my maternal grandmother who died in 2014. But the last five years have been particularly rough. My oldest brother passed away in 2015, my father died in 2016, and my only remaining brother died in April 2020. I’m the last member of my immediate family. My father had nine brothers and sisters but only two of my aunts are living and both are in poor health. I’ve adopted three young children under 9 with my spouse and people remind me that I still have my children but it’s not quite the same as having parents and siblings. When my aunts are gone, I’ve have no one to share stories from my childhood. I’m in my mid-50s and feel like someone in their 90s who survived all of their family members and friends. Cumulative grief is real. It is challenging. If you know someone who has experienced loss after loss, have empathy for them, be kind. If you’re experiencing this type of grief, be easy on yourself and hang in there. Work and family life keep me so busy, I haven’t begun to process my brother’s recent passing. He was my best friend and I was the best man and his wedding 10 years ago. This loss magnifies all of the others and was a tremendous blow. I haven’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet but I feel there are still many reasons to keep going.

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  37. Max  May 14, 2020 at 6:16 pm Reply

    Hang in there cumulative grief is vicious. But I can honestly say as my entire family has passed away, you never get over it but it does ease over time. You story touched me.

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  38. Alex R.  May 6, 2020 at 5:51 pm Reply

    My sister was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer in March 2018 and has been battling since. She is now in hospice care and I cannot imagine my life without her as our relationship has grown tremendously these past two years. In addition, my husband and I have been battling infertility for 3 years and we finally got pregnant. Unfortunately, I miscarried at 12 weeks in October 2019. In January 2020, I lost my dad suddenly to a heart attack. After my father’s death, I moved to my mom’s house to help her out with the mortgage all while trying to adjust to my new job. I am blessed to have a tremendous support system though it feels like this cycle is never ending with one thing happening after another. The least I want is people to feel sorry for me. I look at those around me and think how lucky they are to not have to go through such hardships. My heart aches for my mother as I can see the pain in her eyes knowing we may be living my sisters’ final days. If there’s one thing I learned from all this is knowing that I am not alone. Everyone has their own battles to fight. What mattered before doesn’t matter to me now. I cut those relationships that caused more damage. I cherish all the great memories and focus on gratitude and peace of mind.

    I am saddened to read all of your stories. I can’t imagine all the pain and suffering you all must be going through. I pray that you all find peace and amid all this chaos.

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  39. Maggie  March 15, 2020 at 11:26 pm Reply

    I lost my mother on January 2 of this year very suddenly ( she had heart issues and kept just how bad they were from me ) and fifty-six days later on February 27th I lost my father to lung cancer. I honestly think my father could not live without my mother and she without him. It still blows my mind that both of my parents are gone . Yes, I have assorted aunts and cousins but as an only child I was so used to being part of a trio. I also cared for my parents for a number of years and seem to have forgotten a part of myself. I feel incredibly guilty that I did not for see my mother’s passing. Some caregiver I was to her. I feel horrible that I could not save her. I was with my father for five days before he passed peacefully but now it’s like my world is crumbling all over again. I am seeking help and trying to get myself out back together and I know it’s going to take time but I wish more than anything that I could tell the two of them just how loved them ( even though I said it to them every day) and how much they meant to me. Nowhere feels like home anymore, as I’ve learned ‘home’ isn’t truly a place but the people that love you unconditionally and just the way you are. I’ll never have that again.

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    • Maria  April 3, 2020 at 6:30 am Reply

      Hi Maggie,

      The loss of both your parents is very difficult. If you yearn for them, talk to them before you got to bed. Tell them about your pains, because they and God are listening.

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  40. Felicia  February 28, 2020 at 10:50 am Reply

    I was 10,going on 11 years old when I experienced my first death. My Aunt whom I was very ,very close with passed away December 25, 2002 due to liver problems. I didnt know how to deal with that load of emotional turmoil at that very young age, so I locked it all away. Especially since I never experienced this before. 13 years later ,on March 16,2016 I lost my mother. Whom I was also very,very close with. She battled various cancers over the years. Some of which I knew about and some which I did not. She lost to the battle 2016,as she was no longer up to fight the fight. I have been struggling for the past 4 years trying to deal with this. When I lost my brother September 7,2018 still felt like my world was turning upside down. Especially since i had been having trouble with my mother’s death. Now my Aunts death is rising and I’m having to deal with that as well. It has been up and down and up and down. For a moment I thought I was going to be okay but then i lost another April 26, 2019 to suicide. It hit me so hard and everything just came crashing down on me. This wasnt the end though. I lost a cousin June of 2019 suddenly and unexpectedly. Then turned right around in September 2019 and lost one of my sisters. I have been dealing with all of this. I pray,I write,but this load I’m carrying is just to much. I have no one to talk to. When I do talk to someone they dont understand or they just tell me this is life. They’re so cold and cruel. They dont know how it feels to feel what I feel. They have no idea what lists like to grieve like this and still have to go on like everything is normal when it’s not. I act like I’m okay because I dont have a choice; besides no one cares if I’m not. I never really grieved before now I’m struggling to grieve with these multiple losses. Reading all of guys stories let’s me know that I’m not alone though I often feel as though I am.

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    • Felicia  February 28, 2020 at 11:02 am Reply

      I just turned 28 and I’ve just been feeling so lost and alone. Especially without my mother

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    • Elenianthis  April 11, 2022 at 6:13 am Reply

      Hi Felicia,
      Not sure if you ll see my message but I just want to let you know how sorry I am for all your loss.
      PLEASE know that you are not alone.
      There are cruel and uneducated people out there (as my therapist used to tell me) but there are also people who do care. I feel your pain and your all your loss and my heart is hurting for you and with you… my heart has shattered into so many pieces since I lost both of my sisters Idnt think those pieces can ever be brought back together. Most days I’m in anxiety and fear (if I’m not physically hurting) that I might loose my brother or my husband or my kids or someone else and won’t be able to handle it. It’s hard living like that and feeling constantly that fear especially after all everyone has went the last few years with this pandemic. My hardships have started in such a young age but I try not to remember them. I always felt alone no matter if I was in room full of ppl. A friend send me this quote/prayer about how we could be in a room full of ppl but still feel alone… it happens often to me and I’m sure it happens to many ppl. We are not alone though. God is always there and He always sends someone to be there for us. We only gotta reach out. At times I have cried out to Him and even questioned If there is a God and mostly it was on those moments when my sisters died and everyone else… but I deeply feel that if there was no God or a higher power we wouldn’t be here.
      I have shut many toxic ppl out of my life, family and people I thought were my friends, even people who said that they were Christians only to judge me and gossip about me. Life is too short and things that we thought matter before don’t really matter anymore. I wish I knew those things before when my sisters were still alive. Hang in there and please know that are people who do care!!!
      Keeping you in my prayers…
      Sending my love to you!
      Kindly,
      Eleni 💗

  41. Diandra  February 27, 2020 at 10:42 pm Reply

    I’m really struggling right now. I lost my mom 3.5 weeks ago on 2/2/20. 1 week ago my brother died on 2/21/20. We then had to euthanize our family dog because no one could care for her and she was suffering. In the middle of all of this, my dad was in the hospital. Thankfully he is in a rehab now and doing better but all of this in the span of less than a month has me reeling.

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  42. Mya  February 11, 2020 at 1:02 am Reply

    I am comforted in knowing that my experience with “cumulative loss” isn’t something I am experiencing alone.
    My twin sister, who was 42 years old, passed away on January 3, 2020. While I was dealing with my sister’s death and planning her funeral, my mom, who was 68 years old was battling a rapid decline in her health. In October 2019, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and she subsequently passed away on January 18, 2020, just two weeks following my sister’s death.
    So, before I could finish coming to terms with grieving the lost of my sister, I was going through another heartbreak with the loss of my mom. This has been a tough road and there are times I become angry and there are times where I am comforted in knowing that they are in a better place.
    I pray that each and everyone of you and including myself, can remain strong as we move forward with our lives.

    1
  43. Tracy Rutledge  January 30, 2020 at 5:58 am Reply

    Do you have anything on living grief? My husband has early onset Alzheimer’s and we (support group) call it purgatory grief. Not an easy place to live

    1
  44. Karolina  January 24, 2020 at 11:37 am Reply

    I lost my father Nov 25, 2019 and my mother Jan 3rd 2020, in the very early morning after I had buried my father.
    Two years ago I also lost a very important person to alcohol. We were a couple with for 10 years, and he had been in my life for almost 20 years. I considered him and my father my only famlily.

    My father´s death was a complete blow from nowhere. He tripped outside my mother´s hospital (cancer treatment), hit his head and had a brainbleed. A complete freak accident, which he initially survived fine. However, a grave medical error with his medicines caused his death, just as dramatically, two months later.

    Apart from having two apartments to clear, preparing funerals and all admin that comes with a person dying (these are things you have to do) I don´t do anything. I lie in my bed all day. My body aches all the time. I don´t sleep, when I do it´s only for a few minutes, and I have nightmares. I can´t eat. It literally feels like my body in sinking in mud. The fatigue is unreal.

    Having been through this once before, I don´t see how I can pull through, without the support of my father.

    1
  45. Jason G  January 3, 2020 at 12:27 pm Reply

    Hi everybody. I never imagined losing some many souls in one year. I thought there might be “cumulative grief”, so I am glad there are folks sharing about theirs. Just so that I am heard, I lost a Brother in January, then a wonderful dog, then a wonderful cat. In July, after doing everything I could do to care for her, I lost my Mother. My Sister was not well for the past year. I lost her in September. Finally (I hope this is “finally” for a little while), my innocent Irish Setter was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago. I had to put him to sleep on New Year’s day. I don’t know what this all adds up to cumulatively, other than it is really big. I am down to one Brother (he and I are pretty close), and my 97 year old Aunt (go Aunt Alice!). Now what? I know I need life in my life right now. I have been looking for a new dog (since January when I lost the first one). I also know I should be connecting with existing (and new) friends – but I don’t want to. Anyway, thanks for “listening”. -Jason

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    • Meg  May 4, 2021 at 2:37 pm Reply

      Not sure how this site works, but know i read ur words and i’m listening

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  46. Mike  December 17, 2019 at 10:49 pm Reply

    It’s sad to read all of these but makes me realise I’m not alone feeling like this.

    My nan and grandad brought me up from 11 as my mum was an alcoholic but i knew it was an illness and stayed very close to her. After dropping out of an upstairs window to try end it in 2003 she became paralysed waste down and stopped drinking from then but had already done too much damage to her body so suffered for many years.

    I’m 32 now but still feel 18 as was looked after and mothered too much my grandad had COPD for 12 years and died in 2014 I didn’t come to terms withthis but as he struggled to breathe for so many years I knew it was best he weren’t struggling anymore -my nan then died in Jan 2016, as I was struggling to deal with this my mum died in march 2016 aged just 50. Found my dad who I hadn’t seen for years as I only had small family so thought this best started gettin to know him then he got cancer and died in May 2016. My world has fell apart – my older brother who was 34 dealt with it all differently to me by remember the bad things about my mum but I’m not like that. He had Crohn’s disease bad for years and was on morphine but suddenly died in front of me last February which they put to an unintentional morphine overdose I now have no family and friends disappeared as I was so depressed it may have been a while now but nothing has got easier and I can’t go on anymore really wish I could just go to sleep and not wake up as every day I wake up reality hits that it’s real and I have nobody 🙁

  47. Louise Boyd  December 2, 2019 at 1:08 am Reply

    Blessings to all…I can relate….cumulative grief is an awful thing…I have found solace in nature….a beautiful sunset….an autumn landscape….
    Movement, exercise, release endorphins…it’s not a magic fix, but it can help, little, by little…..

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    • Kid  December 10, 2019 at 4:38 pm Reply

      This year, 2019 has been full of grief for me. In July we lost my mom’s sister after a short illness. In less than a month on the 1st of August my grandmother (maternal) passed away, following her daughter. During both deaths I was pregnant with my 2nd child. I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl in November and she only lived for 5 days. I’m struggling to understand why this had to happen to me. The pain is just too unbearable. It feels like a nightmare which I just want to wake up from. I’m trying to carry on with life as I have another child to think of and she also needs her mommy. The pain of losing these women and more especially my newborn child cuts too deep. I don’t know how I’m going to face the world again. My life will never be the same again.

  48. Louise Boyd  December 2, 2019 at 12:58 am Reply

    I’ve read through many of the comments. Thank you for sharing. I too am experiencing cumulative grief. It is an awful heartwrenching thing.
    I can relate to many folks here….my advice which helps me, is to get out and be near nature…experience a beautiful sunset.. trees in autumn…go for a walk on a nice clear day……..you may not realize that it is helping you to cope…..endorphins activate when you exercise….there is no magic fix, but I feel better when I get outside of myself and just move about….God bless everyone here…..

  49. Kenny  November 30, 2019 at 8:26 am Reply

    Been hitting block wall for 30yrs like bee hitting window, but just now admitting it’s a wall not a winner buzzer,,,, but is anyone still active

  50. CArolyn Byrd  August 29, 2019 at 12:39 pm Reply

    My story on grief is a bit long, and very sad. I have been avoiding the subject and am unable to cry at this point. 3 weeks ago my baby sister died a horrible death due to Cervical Cancer that ran through her body like a wild fire. Lungs. lymph nodes. her entire lower pelvic floor, rectum, intestines kidneys, all her female organs involved in a massive tumor. So, she couldn’t be saved. Her only son hung himself at the age of 15, and with in that year her husband did the same. Her 4 daughters are bringing so much drama to the table that the best I can do is ignore their selfishness., All mare fighting over her ashes. I need to add her new husband into the equation. I told them all to give the ashes to her husband. Or dibbie it up equally and each one get a portion. After that craziness I have stopped answering my phone all together. My sister and I were very close. She came to me about everything she needed feed back on. Any’s problem she had, I was the fixer. But I couldn’t make it all go away this time. We have lost one brother, both parents, my husband, and so many I can’t keep track any more. My point is that I can’t cry like a normal person any more. I should have fallen apart by now. Her passing was a very ugly one. She left this world, kicking and screaming. Her last words were, (scream’s) HELP ME, HELP ME!!! There was nothing I could do to make it all better this time. It’s eating at my insides. I had made arrangements for her to come live with me so I could carte for her. Hospice, and the whole 9 yards. 2 Days before I was to leave to go get her, I was struck down in my tracks. At4:30am I was rushed to the hospital. 11 days later I woke from a coma, and couldn’t move a muscle. A machine was breathing for me, so I couldn’t talk to ask what happened to me. A big part of my memory was gone. So, again my powerlessness over my own well being was looking me square in the face. Today I am marries to a wonderful man. Nurses told me that he never left my side, the whole time I was in the coma. Anyway, I’m grateful to God that he was there to watch over me. By the time I made it through all the therapies and physically learning how to take care of myself again, my sister was to far gone to be moving her at that point of this awful nightmare. I had my last round of physical therapy 2 weeks ago. My health stopped me from being by her side in her last days. She cries every time she would talk to me, weather it be in the phone or in person. She was so afraid of passing away., Petrified. At the age of 51, she was horrified. I feel I failed her. More over the top of that Every time I spoke to her about God, and asked her if she had made peace with her maker? She would change the subject. I know her relationship with God is between her and God, but I can’t stop thinking about the things she did as a younger woman, that I feel God may not allow her to be in Heaven. I may never see her again. Out of 10 children, 5 were aborted. with one of them being 6 months deep into gestation. I have been praying about it. Talking to God asking for forgiveness on her behalf. and asking for solace with in the family as we all mourn our loss. There was another family member that perished 3 weeks before my sister. My Husband loss his youngest brother. He suffered a heart attack while driving and ran head on into another car. He was the only one that needed first responders. So it’s been a lot to swallow here lately. I feel the pain and the loss, but it’s so strange to be unable to cry and let some of the pain release. I feel like a time bomb that could go off at any moment. I know it’s causing me some big time depression. I’m not sleeping worth a crap at night. I want to eat constantly. I think about pulling a good old fashion drinking spree often now. She wasn’t suppose to die before me. I think I may be in shock. IDK… I’m still in shock about losing my mother, and that’s been 24 years ago. I hope she is with her son and our Mom now. Acceptance isn’t coming easy this time. What hurts the most about it all? Not one friend, and only one family member has bothered to contacted me to give their condolences. Not one friend, NO ONE… People from our school days. Not one sympathy card. Like I’m a shadow. Making me not want to say a word to anyone. Then I think of all the people I have held as they took their last breaths. How many pot luck meals and casserole’s I have made for the family’s and friends who have had a loss. I feel like I don’t exist anymore. I’m invisible to the world. Forgotten by everyone I love and care about. I feel no on gives a rats ass about me. I want to scrawl under a rock for about 40 more years. I believe no one will even notice me missing if I did. Do you ever want to go to sleep for a week or two? Nothing left to look forward too. Empty of all the people who you gave so much of yourself to. I’m depleted. Pray for us please?

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    • Suzanne Utts  October 11, 2019 at 1:10 pm Reply

      I am so sorry you are going through so much and that you aren’t getting the support back that you so lovingly gave to others. Sometimes people disappoint us–and that’s putting it mildly isn’t it! Perhaps what I can offer will give you a bit of solace. The Bible says that God’s Word does not return void (empty) but it accomplishes that which it is meant to do. In other words, all the words you said to her about getting right with Him were accomplished. You were doing His work and giving His message to her. He is a loving and forgiving God. You can trust her to His hands. Now you can trust yourself into His hands for healing your heart. Jesus “was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” according to Isaiah 53. So He understands and He is with you all the way. Walking with God is a step-by-step life and you are doing it with His hand holding yours. I pray that as time goes on, you will feel His Presence stronger with you every day.

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    • Diane  October 23, 2019 at 9:27 pm Reply

      Oh Carolyn I read your story, coming to this website for I lost my mom and dad within 6 months of each other. Your story hurt my heart to it’s core. All I can tell you is I am praying for you. For peace, for understanding, for healing.

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    • Louise Boyd  December 2, 2019 at 1:24 am Reply

      Wow, Carolyn. I thought I had cumulative grief, but you have been through way too much! God bless you.. and no, you can’t rely on people being there. We need inner strength to weather through this awful existence here in earth…I find solace in nature….

  51. Michelr  August 15, 2019 at 4:31 am Reply

    You guys seem to understand perfectly what I’m going through and it sucks. I’m 2013 my baby sister and best friend was diagnosed with lymphoma she was 36. She fought, but died 2 years later. Not even a year later , my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed in 6 months. Then about 3 months later in 2017, my husband left me bc he could not handle how sad I was. Jerk! And I panicked. I still had my best friend my mom but we were deep in grief. But tried. In 2019 this summer, my had and MRI and they saw a a lesion on her liver. Long story short, she was diagnosed on my birthday 6/22. And she died 7/21. I’m numb, anxious, sick, scared, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t have anyone. 2 teenage boys. That have other things to do. I’m a mess!

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  52. Pamela Philipp  August 5, 2019 at 10:16 pm Reply

    i Lost my my mother and my husband in September of 2015 eight days apart then march of 2016 I lost my aunt then June of 2016 I lost my uncle then my moms boyfriend committed suicide a week later then I lost my cousin and then another uncle just a couple months apart also in 2016 this is too much I feel empty and numb I don’t know how to deal with anything I am just watching time go by but it feels like I’m lost there is no way to deal with this

    • Tara  August 18, 2019 at 11:22 pm Reply

      I cannot even prepare my heart or comprehend what you are even battling and I am so sorry. Sorry is so hard to say because I know it is such and overused “apology “and normally people never say it until they are sorry because they got caught in whatever it was they were doing. I hope I make sense here. Period it is a overused word and the true meaning is never fully comprehended due to that. But I am. With all my sincerity. I just lost my Uncle June 21st and had to be the one to break it to my mom and aunt that their brother way dead. He died in the home of his parents (my grandparents) due to drinking of depression. Despite that look it gives on the outside he WAS a good person. He died in their home and Mamaw called me to tell my mom and Aunt because she didn’t have the strength to herself as she was the one who found her own son dead. He died peaceful In his sleep. There other son younger out of 4 kids was not the nicest to my other Uncle and throughly hatred and toughness would bring his brother out of it but it didn’t. It ate at him for how hard he was on him before he died and today 8/18/19 I got a call this morning he too is now dead. Drinking and driving. Despite that he WAS a good person. His guilt ate at him that he drunk every night since his older brother died for how hard he was on him. He NEVER drank and drive he knew better and always ubbered. Last night he didn’t and was five minute from home but missed the turn and hit a brick and wall and killed him. Almost two months apart I’ve lost both my Uncles and I’m so lost and torn and hurt! Words cannot even describe the pain and then I read your story and think how little room I have to talk! God bless you dear and please know you ARE going to make it through!

  53. Fiona  July 16, 2019 at 4:23 am Reply

    I lost my loved one in 2011, and in 2013 I lost my mom which I did not get a chance to say goodbye, in 2015 I lost my dad from cancer, in 2017 I lost my beloved dog from lung cancer, and now I am going to lose my second dog from a heart murmur. not including all the problems and accidents that happened a few times. The pain is unbearable, and I am lonely even though I have a family but I can’t share my pain with them. I feel so lost and alone. I don’t want people feeling sorry for me, but my chest is hurt and heavy. I feel like I am carrying a hundred lbs of baggage. I feel life is so unfair. I cannot deal with lost anymore. sometimes, I am thinking the only way to avoid loss is I go first, so I don’t have to deal with it.

  54. Scherie  July 11, 2019 at 12:28 pm Reply

    My whole support system is in the ground. My grandmother passed away june 15th and my uncle, who lived with her, passed away jan 7, which is my dads birthday, and he passed away 4 months after I got back from Iraq march 2012. one of my favorite soldiers shot herself and I loved her so. my sister in law passed away july 2012 and the same day the family dog passed away. my step brother passed away 2 years ago and left behind 7 children. I have been out of mind and what is more sad; I thought I had it together. I lost my best friend by taking her for granted. I abused the relationship and her without really even realizing it. She did so much for me while I was going through stuff. She lost her Grandpa that she was very close to and her grandma a year later, and I seemed okay with it. I don’t think I was as supportive as I could have been. But then it happened to me and I lost it. I have been avoiding all emotions since my childhood. Especially in Iraq (medic) because soldiers don’t cry. I hold it all in. I am a single mom and I feel like I would lose my kids if I broke down in front of them. daughter acted out and it upset me a great deal, and it was an eye opener to my behavior to my friend. I was gutted that that was what I had put her through and she was still at my side. I told her to leave and never talk to me again when she asked for her stuff. I push everyone away; I am a master of self sabotage . I called the vet center today to do individual counseling and there is a grief support group at the VA. I sent my friend flowers; she told me not to do that, that distance and silence is all she wants. I told her I just want her to know how sorry I am. She is the last person that I had in my life that cared about me and I threw it away. and now I lost that. because of the grief I lashed out and burned every bridge her and I had. it wasn’t until I hit rock bottom then looked up and saw rock bottom that I began to reflect on my life. What is my purpose? What is important to me? What do I want to accomplish from here on out? That is when I realized how bad I had screwed things up with her. I was scared and hurting so I tore her down in the process. I am so ashamed of myself. I want to build the bridge back to her. I want to build the bridge back to me…I am so hard to love. loving me is like loving me with a knife in my hand.

  55. Kalena  July 11, 2019 at 9:22 am Reply

    On father’s day my son lost his father. The next day our 16 year old dog needed to be put down and that thurs my uncle had hospice deliver their “care packages” and today he died. I am still in shock over the first death and the second was unbearable. I have talked with someone professionally but I am still having such a hard time with all this. Once I feel that I am “getting better”, another thing will happen and I feel like I just can’t “get over” it. It’s only been three weeks-ish from the initial death. It doesn’t help that that death is still being investigated and answers have not been had. Would this all be cumulative grief? And am I normal for feeling like I am so overwhelmed with feelings that some days I just feel unemotional? I also never knew the body could produce so many tears for so long! Thank you for listening.

  56. Sara  June 7, 2019 at 10:51 pm Reply

    The first time I ever experienced death was when I was 12. I watched my grandpa die as they took him off life support. Years passed I was now a grown woman, I miscarried two of my children. At that point I looked at death very differently. I thought of it as a way of transcending into a higher realm. I lost my dad 11/7/2016 it didn’t hit me right away until after the funeral. Oh yea my uncle also died a week before my dad 10/28/2016. Not even a year later my grandma dies on 12/29/17 which is my dads mother. At that time I was pregnant with my daughter. I was ok for the most part I guess. I think I was just numb from the loss of my dad and how my grandma. I’d say a few months later I have my daughter June 6, things are hectic with my regular life despite the losses I encountered. It’s july I get a phone call from my moms phone, it’s my uncle telling me my mom passed away. The pain hit me like a ton of bricks I couldn’t bare it because that same week my daughters dad walked out on us. I find out on my moms birthday 07/21/18 (which is the day before mine) that she passed in her sleep. I was devastated not just for me but my daughter too. This is one loss I really can’t handle period, not to mention I was thousand of miles away from home where she died. One thing for sure my daughter couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m still grieving my moms death everyday and at times I fee really bad because I miss my dad and grandma too. But losing my mom is the hardest one, on top of that I just found out my cousin was shot and killed on 04/15/19. I can’t even grieve her death right now I’m still trying to process my mom, plus I’m still in shock period. It’s a lot and sometimes I don’t know how I manage. I seem ok because I’m raising my daughter alone fine but deep down I’m fucked up. I have my roller coaster of emotions that come on every so often. Also it can be hard tying to fully grieve being a new single mom. I feel like I’m constantly juggling my emotions so it doesn’t affect my daughter. I’m glad I have people who can relate, I’m not glad for they’re losses. But at least i know I’m not the only one facing these issues head on.

  57. Jessica Richards  May 18, 2019 at 9:00 pm Reply

    I keep searching the Internet for some sort of help on what to do now in life, how to deal with the “new norm”. Not only suffering the loss of my Dad, my Mom, my only sibling, my grandpa, my cousin the same age at me (I am 38) 3 elderly dogs all in a year and a 1/2 to 2 years, I have been kicked countless times with many other horrible things that are morally horrible… I found my mother dead in her car after she was coming to my home and Never arrived. I held both my Dad and Brother as I took them off support. My cousin dropped dead the day of my Dads funeral, and the day I took my brother to the hospital, I stopped back at his home to find his room mate dead on the floor between the bed and the wall. My Grandpa was the first to pass at 97. We knew his time was near… but my parents were 64 yo. My cousin 38. My brother 45… I couldnt handle everything dying and I refused to put my elderly dog down, only to have her die in my arms on the way to the vet. She was 14. The other 2 dogs were 13 and 14 as well.. one died at the house, and the last one I took to the vet….

    I’m lost. I don’t know why I live. Why my eyes open every day. I dont want them too…. I just dont know what to do… and it been a year in August since the last passing who was my brother… I’m alone. Feel abandoned. And I hate life.

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    • Becky  May 19, 2019 at 2:36 am Reply

      Dear Jessica, I’m so sorry for all the pain and confusion you must be reeling from. Please find some kind of support to help you thru this; a grief counselor or even a program called Griefshare. I think it’s really important you not try to walk thru it alone.
      I’ve experienced multiple losses without help or support for the last 20+ years and….that’s not good, trust me.
      Nobody should walk thru any loss alone, let alone multiple losses.
      I hope you look for and get the help you need.

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    • Ruby  May 19, 2019 at 10:48 pm Reply

      I’ve lost someone at different times. The one recently was four in a drowning.. My niece age four..her little brother..and both grandparents. have to find a peaceful place everyday to connect with nature and just have quiet for a half hour. It’s my meditation and letting go to the calm. I don’t know if you even have a place to find this peace. I slowly built.. planted a butterfly garden and that has been my rescue. Thank goodness I still have all my adult children and their children.. My grandchildren. I took children in the last few years and that has made a big difference in my life. Travel..give of yourself it helps. Recently I broke up with my boyfriend and thinking I was fine..wasn’t…sent me into a rush if panic and depression. Now I’m stuck again trying to get out of the funk. Good luck hun and you can contact me on my email whenever you want. desertartist01@yahoo.com

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    • Julie  May 27, 2019 at 10:51 am Reply

      JESSica you are not alone … since 2016 I lost my aunt , my cousin , my two dogs , my 30 yo nephew, and most recently my sister , my husband had a heart attack and surgery during this time and my mom has Alzheimers … I have 4 nieces my sister left behind all are grieving the youngest just graduated only 9 months after my sisters passing .. they are grieving their mom and brother , my son is grieving his grandpa, aunt and cousin that was more like his brother … life’s been tough to say the least … there aren’t days I ask why , days I wish I had help, days I wonder why me? I do not know how I maintain strength other than I always have hope … hope that there will be better days to come … hope my sisters girls and my son can grieve their mother and brother properly so that they can be whole again … just look at each day as a new day some good some bad but know there is always hope … take care of you .. go to a support group engage with people that have similar situations but surround yourself with positivity … maybe start a new hobby too something just for you … and know you are never truly alone … focus on your good memories and how much you know they would want you to be happy .. life will and is different but you have to find who you are in your new world … we are here for a reason I don’t know what mine is but I know I want happiness and I want new things in my life … please hang in there and find help if you think you need it … a different persepective on how you feel could really change your life for the better …. take care send me an email if u want to talk julielouck420@aol.com … I am a good listener if you want to talk …

  58. George  May 11, 2019 at 3:44 pm Reply

    I’ve never felt this low in a while.
    The other week, I had a chat with my dad. Sometimes certain conversations take a huge toll on people and this one succeeded at that very well . On the one side there’s my aging dad who is closing in towards 70, sort of guilt tripping me into getting married as he thinks he’s not gonna be alive for too long to see it happen. On the other side is my inability to imagine myself getting into a fully developed relationship.
    This has fucked me up. Now I’m losing sleep and I’ve already lost my appetite. I keep getting the same recurring dream everyday of me standing over my Dad’s grave and breaking down like a 3 year old. Even now I can barely hold it together, I’m glad to have been able to put this out here cause otherwise I might end up doing something stupid and irreversible.

    • Meg L Smith  May 4, 2021 at 2:46 pm Reply

      u r not alone

  59. Vicki Rouse  April 21, 2019 at 10:53 pm Reply

    My brother died 3/28/19 tragically. My mother died 4/11/19 from a broken heart.:(
    F… M.!
    WTF
    I feel like people dont want to talk, they are sad for me
    I hate this
    I want a hit of dope
    What is the f……point
    I feel so f……alone
    I’m married but I dont want to beg him down
    I go back to work tomorrow, maybe that will help:(

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    • Jeff  April 30, 2019 at 6:20 pm Reply

      My grandfather died in late ’68. My brother died @ 8 years old 6 months later. I overheard my dad talking on the phone to someone and saying the doctors told my parents there was nothing they could do for him. I lived with that until he died. Less than 3 years later I watched my dad die in front of me from a massive heart attack. Two years later, the only family member I know who truly loved me, died. 3 years later my uncle died. All of this happened before I was 23. The older I get the more shell-shocked I think I’ve become. I can’t stand to think about anything dying, not even a bird. Time does not heal all wounds, you’re correct. In fact, time can sometimes re-open the wounds. Over and over again.

    • Julie  May 2, 2019 at 10:49 am Reply

      My mom died when I was 2. My aunt who took care of me committed suicide when I was 23. Her son overdosed when I was 34. My cousin died of heart attack from years of drinking about 4 years ago. I just lost my 18 year old son a month ago to overdose. I’m at the end of my rope. The worst pain is losing my son. But I always wonder what my life would have been like if my mom didn’t die. She died in a car accident .

  60. Sara  April 21, 2019 at 2:21 pm Reply

    My husband filed for divorce. We haven’t spoken in months. In counseling, he just brings lists of everything he feels I’ve done wrong in the past 7 years and they just allow him to rather than offer solutions to why he feels everything I do is wrong. I’m sorry but no one can do everything wrong. Plus I have catered to him for the past 7 years. He contradicts himself & tells the counselor that too. He vented on my sisters husband so he only knows his side and took his side. I thought my sister did too but word has it that she’s changed her mind. I thought I lost my relationship with her and her 5 kids. I have spent months frantically renovating a house I was going to flip but changed to move into after the divorce. I paid $4400 to a company a month ago to reroof & reside the garage and house. I think they took my money and ran. The bathroom caught on fire last Friday. Servpro said they’d probably have to gut the place. This is too much. No one can handle this much. My husband and his brother (who lives with us because he dug himself a financial hole) offer no help, no comfort….nothing. They just avoid me, as I cry. Thanks for listening.

  61. Lost & clueless  April 18, 2019 at 10:59 am Reply

    I have recently lost my husband after a prolonged illness. right when we were least expecting it. Those were hard times, but we remained strong and optimistic. He was everything to me and and his demise brought all the memories back of not able to have kids. Then my family decided that I should be left alone to deal with my grief. So when I am my lowest and need some emotional support, I am left alone.
    I am strong mentally and otherwise independent so manage alright with day to day stuff, finances etc. What I find hard it not having anybody to share my sorrow with. One thing after another, I have been absorbing it all for long time. And now wonder about my empty life and hopeless future. Every morning I wonder, what am I supposed to do? Every night, I wonder, why am I still here?
    I never imagined myself losing it all so early on in life. It is easy for others to say that remain strong. Every minute is painful, when you are so alone.

    • Sara  April 21, 2019 at 2:23 pm Reply

      I am sorry to hear about your husband’s death and how it has affected you. If you need someone to talk to, let me know.

      blondiered7@gmail.com

    • Ruby  May 19, 2019 at 11:14 pm Reply

      Hang in there lady! No..others don’t understand sometimes the pain of missing someone..so much you can feel them next to you and then fade away. But there’s a life to live and its yours! Find something that gives you peace..peace to clear the mind even for just a little while. Move on after this after thus to something that you don’t even have to be happy with..content is OK for now. Later as you keep searching happiness hopefully follow. There will be times it comes rushing back.. Allow it..then keep going. Look for something you can find calming to your spirit, it’s hurting right now. Good luck hun!

  62. Debbie  April 9, 2019 at 1:09 am Reply

    Hi,
    I am not gonna list who or when or why anyone I lost is gone. I just want to say that I found something in every story I just read that pertained to me.

    I still dont know how to grieve each one in the way they deserved. I feel like I’m spending too much time on one death when there’s another one coming and it ends up being
    Just as hard especially in a very short time .

    I tried the avoidance. Which only lost me time with people I love the same if not more than the people I lost!

    I talk to them. A couple very often which is all that keeps me going some days. I like to think how they’d respond if here.

    It makes me feel them and whatever any one thinks about it or dont believe, the signs I feel are great. I feel them at least once a day or more. That’s my way right now trying to get thru the
    “CUMULATIVE GRIEF” IS A THING.
    I just never heard it put quite this way. So thank you all for putting this stuff up. I feel for all of u.
    I gotta go. I have another loss I need to try to get thru. There is no hope and its heartbreaking.

    Please think of me and know that you all will be my strength when its time.

    • Sara  April 21, 2019 at 2:26 pm Reply

      Debbie,
      I am sorry you have to go through all of that. If you need someone to vent on my email is blondiered7@gmail.com

      Sara

  63. Mona A  March 21, 2019 at 11:47 pm Reply

    I lost my only brother who suffered long with mental illness when he was only 30 years old. My dad’s best friend had a car accident as he was driving to our house to attend my mom’s funeral. He died a few days later. My grandmother who lived with us died a few weeks later. I lost my mom when she was 63 to a heart attack. My father died in a car accident when he was 67. My aunt was hit by a car and killed crossing the street to my sister’s house. My cousin died of a brain annurism when he was un his early 30’s. Another cousin died of a burn accident and her father (my uncle) died of a lung clot a week later. I had to put my cat to sleep after a 2 month battle with cancer. I buried myself in my work to give myself a purpose. I lost my job 2 times because of the company being sold. It hurts so much to remind myself of all this. I am very sad and have been coping with therapy for many years. I avoid deep relationships because I am so afraid of loss. I am unable to handle the stress of a full time job for fear of losing it. I have many health issues now. I am always worried and stressed. I don’t want anti-anxiety or antidepressants because my bother died of hwart failure from all the drugs they gave him. My sister has been on antidepressants for many years and attempted suicide several times when she stopped them because of side efdects. I lost my faith in God for a long time but I know he is still there even though it is hard to understand why all this pain is a constant part of my life. I pray for everyone to find peace and relief from the pain off loss and grief.

    • Sara  April 21, 2019 at 2:36 pm Reply

      Mona,
      You will be in my prayers too. I wish I had words of encouragement, for you. If you need to talk, my email is blondiered7@gmail.com

      Sara

  64. rob  February 23, 2019 at 6:32 pm Reply

    I lost my job of 22 years of a great job making 250k a year which has crushed me a week later my father passed away a year before then my mom passed away and now my g/f left me. I have fallin into a state of depression do deep and so bad I cant see a purpose for anything anymore . I lost all the future hope now have to sell my retirement home and all my friends, who dont want to hear my bad mood and also lost around 4 mil dollars I can not deal with all this set back and feel so depressed I cant find a way to get out of this situation and am clueless as to what to do now its been 4 months since this has happend I am hopeless. Now I will be forced to move soon with no job and live in a different place. This is as bad as depression gets to me my whole life has changed as to what I can afford and do its truely devastating. Im a lost hope.

    • Sara  April 21, 2019 at 2:40 pm Reply

      Rob,
      Don’t do anything drastic, ok? You will be ok! I understand. I put $100k into a house to get it uncondemned & get insurance on it so I had a place to move to when my divorce was final but then it caught fire a day ago. I am realizing life is not about money. Yes, we worked hard to be comfortable but rely on friends and family. There are caring people out there. There are also some non caring ones. Find the caring ones! Some people just do nothing and slide through life, they do not understand struggle therefore cannot have empathy. If you need to talk, my email is blondiered7@gmail.com

    • Ruby  May 19, 2019 at 11:21 pm Reply

      Wow! Me too! Left April 20th! Brought back other pain without me evenknowing it would! I ended up making a fool out of myself because other pain came into play. If you need someone to talk to contact me at desertartist01@yahoo.com

  65. Mary  February 11, 2019 at 7:33 am Reply

    I lost my brother and then my father a week later. Both were very ill and my father was 93 and so it was fairly expected but it doesn’t take away from the shock and horror. I know it will take one day at a time. It’s only been a few weeks but I’ve started with very weird dreams that are just dark. Not sure why…I suspect it is my grief.

    I also loss my mother 2 years ago and my best friend and I have parted ways due to differences of opinions on a business.

    So much loss is very difficult to handle.

  66. Mary  February 11, 2019 at 7:31 am Reply

    I lost my brother and then my father a week later. Both were very ill and my father was 93 and so it was fairly expected but it doesn’t take away from the shock and horror. I know it will take one day at a time. It’s only been a few weeks but I’ve started with very weird dreams that are just dark. Not sure why…I suspect it is my grief.

  67. J.R.D  January 25, 2019 at 12:22 pm Reply

    Really glad I found this site. I lost my Mother and Sister Between October 1 and Christmas eve back in 2016. In both cases I was right there and it was almost identical circumstances. My Mother died first. Her death was instant but my sister was taken to a hospital where they pronounced her dead.
    I’m the youngest and last of my family having lost my Dad back in 2013 and my brother in 2005. I still live in the family home and having grown up around people it really took a long time getting used to being alone. I honestly thought maybe I should seek out therapy but my Nieces, friends and girlfriend were really supportive and having someone to talk to was monumental in keeping me from losing my senses.
    The house has many family pictures and that gives me great comfort. I don’t know that I’ll ever like being alone like this but I often feel that they’re all there keeping watch over me.
    I never knew what stress could be until all of this happened. It’s just amazing what you go through physically and mentally. I accepted losing my Mother since she was 87 and had suffered heart ailments for some time but my Sister was only 66 and despite her health issues seemed to be coping well. I feel cheated that I don’t have my Sister to talk to since we were very close. She took my Mother’s death very hard and I honestly believe that coupled with her strained relationship with her daughters put a lot of stress on her.
    I understand this is part of life but you’re never ready for it when it does happen regardless of whether a family member is sick or not.
    I know I’ll be alright but the memories are so strong and sometimes just looking at their pictures can be overwhelming. You never really get over it.

    1
  68. brown  January 17, 2019 at 8:07 pm Reply

    *Cumulative

  69. brown  January 17, 2019 at 8:06 pm Reply

    loss and calmative grief doesn’t always involve death

  70. Dive Watches  January 3, 2019 at 2:29 pm Reply

    Superb blog you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked about in this article?
    I’d really like to be a part of community where I can get advice from other experienced people that share the same
    interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
    Thanks!

  71. Heather  December 30, 2018 at 6:58 pm Reply

    I hate 2018 because so many people lost so many family members this year. I lost two aunts, an uncle and my mom within the last four months. My mom just died on December 7th. Christmas was bitter sweet. Now my father-in-law is dying. Although I have my husband and two boys, I feel so empty. My two aunts were my favorite. I want to call my mom, but I can’t anymore. The people who were proud of me and supported me are gone. The people I was the closest to are gone. I just want to shield the family I have left.

    • Suzanne Spang  January 6, 2019 at 4:21 pm Reply

      Hi Heather, I’m so sorry you are going through all of that. I feel the same. I lost every person that was supportive of me in the last few years. My Mom, Mother-in-law, favorite Aunt and my Best Friend. They are gone and I find myself feeling very alone, even though I have a husband it’s just not the same. We have a difficult time communicating. I’m a hairdresser and I was forced to retire due to allergies so I’m having to mourn the loss of a profession I loved and all the wonderful clients that I formed bonds with through the years. I feel like I have to start all over at 53! I was thinking about forming some sort of support group in my home. I don’t know.

    • MK  March 27, 2019 at 12:49 pm Reply

      I am right there wit you. I lost my father, my aunt, my friend (and first love), and my uncle in a years time. I have really struggled. Like you, these were the people who were my biggest cheerleaders and supporters. I spent the firs few months crying, and feeling slighted. I talked with a therapist, which I found very helpful, wrote multiple letters to my loved ones, talked about them, talked to them, did things in their memory, visited the cemetery, wore my daddy’s oxford shirts, looked at pictures, I tell my kids the same stories they have hear over and over, and cried and cried and cried. I am doing much better nearly a year out, although I did break down when I saw a Hershey’s kiss in the store (they were kind of my aunt’s “thing”). All this to say, I do it all, whatever is helpful and not harmful. I try to remind myself that I am so lucky to have had their love and support. It doesn’t make me miss them any less, but it does build me back up a bit. Everyone grieves differently so do what works for you. Keep doing something and eventually you will find yourself in a better space. Not perfect, don’t try for perfect, just try foe better.

  72. Donna Bartley  December 11, 2018 at 6:55 pm Reply

    I did not experience back to back loss yet it feels like it. Back in Jan 2010 my mom died and I truly felt lost. My next younger brother had her ashes so I had never seen them. Sept 27 2018 my brother died and I felt like part of me died with him. The toughest part is I got handed mom’s ashes since I am the oldest. It was like hurting over her loss all over again as well as losing him. Just not sure how to feel,so I have been shutting it all in. I don’t manage grief well and it seems I have lost all the joy in my life.

  73. Sandy  November 15, 2018 at 1:51 am Reply

    I’ve lost loved ones in my life. I lost my husband in Nov if 2012. In 2015 I met someone, we fell in love and got engaged. He died in my arms Sept 15, 2028. I thought I was completely devastated, but I was wrong. On October 22nd, 2018, just 37 days later my son died. I am not dealing with my grief, as it’s too much. I constantly have the tv on and my smart phone in my hand reading or looking at something. Constantly keeping my mind busy so I don’t have a chance to think. Because I can’t. It’s too much. I just realized yesterday that I didn’t get a chance to grieve Andrew..and now I can’t .. I need to morn my son..but I feel that I will die. I have belongings to go through. Things to donate and give away. Shoes, clothes, coats..i sleep on the sofa and avoid the bedroom. I want to scream when someone says they are praying for me. Their God took both of them from me..why would you ask him to help me when he caused all of this? That’s just stupid. I no longer believe in a God. As for heaven and he’ll? I’ve experienced them both. Heaven when I fell in love with Andrew and he with me..hell when he died. Heaven when I had my son..hell when he died. Grief interrupted by Grief..i do not see how this is manageable.

    • Kitty Disco  November 25, 2018 at 5:04 pm Reply

      Wow, yeah I hear you. Back to back
      why do we have to deal with grieving which you’re almost wish that we couldn’t feel like maybe aliens don’t have feelings you know what I’m saying it’s very very hard we’ve been programmed and deprogrammed and society has put a lot honestly oh yeah do you prayers and believe in God and believe in this one in believing that one day over there watching over they’ll take care of you well when you have situations like you have back-to-back situation how is that helping so as far as you losing my faith in that kind of situation yeah I definitely have. My bayleaf now is don’t let society or anything else to dictate to you have your own belief my belief is is at 1 we want to go we do our own thing on a subconscious level by that I mean we say okay you know this is it I’m tired of all this and you do it through a manifestation but it’s on a subconscious level now as far as in the animal kingdom no I don’t think that’s on a subconscious level cuz I think animals are smarter than humans and when they come in at birth and they’ve done what they’ve done over and over again and they live their life and whatever then that’s okay you know I’m going to be recycled again so I’m going to do my thing and I’m going to go no more humans aren’t that smart to do that they sit Anna and the miserable life and keep putting up with BS and garbage until you get to the point where you just going to lose it you’re just going to just totally go off the chain here so what I’m saying is the weight my feeling is now do your own thinking don’t let anything dictate or control what you think and what you say and what you do and don’t ever let anybody make you feel guilty about any situations because the choice is the beans on a subconscious level animals they do it on their own level they’re much smarter than a human being thanks

  74. Shonia  October 22, 2018 at 9:36 am Reply

    I have lost 15 family members in less than 18months, and as I feel like im moving on day to day, I cant help to worry that I have never dealt with the first, which was my father, and yet I continue life, but I don’t feel like I am living life, I’m just existing. I have 2 children and a husband, and I am not sure I have focused on any of the deaths, that have ranged from cancer (a lot) to murder which just happened last week, my cousin was shot and killed by his moms boyfriend. I am having an increased anxiety and starting to get weird. I feel like I am trying to keep everyone super close and feel the need to overly protect them from EVERYTHING, I don’t want my kids even going to school because I feel like I will snap and I am constantly looking at their location on their phones to make sure they are safe, and I just don’t know what to do, I am on anxiety medications, I am on depression medication, and I feel like a hermit, I don’t want to leave because what if this and what if that, I honestly am not sure if I am going crazy or just coping???? My husband isn’t much help because he’s stubborn, and seems to think once the funeral is over then we should move on, but its just not that simple for me, I can’t, I can’t sleep, I cant adult, I cant work, I can’t focus, I just really can’t deal with life, and it scares the living hell out of me. I am certain this wont be read and that’s ok, I just simply needed to put it out there, I needed to vent, I needed to breathe and to feel like there are others out there dealing, living, and coping.

    • Christina  November 16, 2018 at 6:12 pm Reply

      Hi Shonia. I just read your story and I’m so sorry for all if your losses. I Lost my mom and only sibling and my dad all within a few years. I know how you are feeling…just trying to breathe…just existing. It is all so overwhelming…each loss alone and that many losses of those so close to your heart. It’s like your whole foundation has cracked under you and you are just trying not to fall in. It’s hard to talk to others who have not been through it because as hard as they might try they just dont understand. You are not going crazy. It is a process and drastic change of life…over and over again. I wish I had some good advice for you but I don’t. I’m still working on processing my losses too. But I wanted you know that you are not alone. If that helps at all. Take care of yourself.

    • Sasharae  December 10, 2018 at 3:32 pm Reply

      I read everything, and Know exactly how you feel. Like there is some kind of omen following me. If I am being tested as (Job) why is it that I’m the only one it seems losing things? My friends are all happily married with families and people who love them. Who’s here to love me? At the beginning of the year, I lost the love of my life, after he succumbed to pulmonary and heart sarcoidosis. He died exactly one week before his 39th birthday. He was laid to rest on the day he was born. I was 6 months pregnant with our baby girl. She was due I’m May. In Aprail, I had a placental abruption, had an emergency C-section, woke to the fact that I had pretty much bled to death, tube in throat, hands tied to bed, going in and out of consciousness. They take the tube put, cut the cords on my hands, and bring my daughter to me. She didn’t make it. She was the most beautiful thing I’d seen since my son. Mama’s ladybug went to heaven with daddy. I wish God would have let me hear her voice or see her pretty eyes. She looked just like her brother. He calls her, baby sister. He had just made 5 after his dad died, so he didn’t understand when I had to tell him. It broke his heart. But he still brings her up. I hated for my little man to have to lose his dad and sister at such a young age. Both my parents are dead. They died back to back over a year. All my grandparents died in one year and in that year, my cousins boyfriend murdered her and committed suicide. Then my sister died after having the lap and at 35. Now my oldest sister is dead, she died in October. My little cousin was killed at the store this year. So in one year, my baby boy has seen 4 dead people, and was barely 5. Just bam all at once. I can’t eat, sleep or drink. I feel weird. I worry all the time because, I also lost my home and car and my son has to live with his daddy’s mom so he can go to school. I worry about him all the time because I am not there to see him daily, but I ask God to cover my baby. And I need to get it together, because my son needs me, and I want to be the best mommy I can to him for a long long long time. I want to see him married and see my grandkids… I will be praying for everyone on this blog. I’m not alone

      • FS  April 8, 2019 at 5:08 am

        found this site wanted to respond to you. I’m in the same boat as many others on this site. I just want to express my thoughts after reading your post. It is so so hard when there is small child that you have to be strong for. In the face of so much grief. And very little help. Thank God he has his grandmother. I will be a grandmother soon. My daughter can sometimes be very indifferent towards me. She lives far away from me I know you’re planning to live closer to her so the traveling is easier if she needs me as a grandparent. I am sole survivor in my family. Except that my brother and even his daughter and his whole family and in-laws have been very indifferent toward me. This was hard over time especially around the holidays when it would sometimes be just me and my daughter. We started from a large family.

        so it is very hard but I’m glad you have some grandparental support. It is good to share on a site such as this. Just wanted to reach out to you. Let you know you were heard.

    • Tina  December 16, 2018 at 4:49 am Reply

      Hi Shonia,
      I read your story and it is heartbreaking.
      I had been to 9 funerals, by the age of 48.
      My brother, my husband ( his fault and 5 years of hell ), my father, my father in law, 3 uncles, an Auntie, Nana ( this is normal! ).
      I am a normal person, only one of these deaths was by addiction. Every one else died of disease and illness.
      It makes you different from everyone else. As no one can understand what it’s like and you find yourself screaming inside… at people that have lost their pet!! Or Grandparent!!! OMG .. they have no clue, the world is very cruel and full of selfish people.
      I just want you to know, that you sound like a sane person, who WILL be ok. You do have a husband, he is stubborn… but this is how he gets through it. Is there any way that you can move out of your area? To start a new life somewhere else? This may help. Meanwhile, if you think that everyone’s life is a test and the more that you have to cope with, the higher your spirit and soul will be to nirvana or enlightenment…. whatever you want to call it. You are an Angel on earth.

    • Amber silva  December 26, 2018 at 9:13 am Reply

      Your comment was read and I am so so sorry for all of your loss . No you are not going crazy you are in mourning . Deep deeply and you need to take it day by day hour by hour .
      We lost our son recently and the pain and anguish is torture . Time I suppose will heal
      Compassionate friends is a great group to join . I M going hi second meeting tonight .
      O feel for you so much . Take care of yourself , talk to a Councelor that specializes in grief . Be gentle with yourself as this is beyond what a person will go through

    • MK  March 27, 2019 at 1:07 pm Reply

      I read your story and feel so much sadness for what you have faced and continue to confront. I only lost 4 people in my family so I cannot imagine what you are going through. Know that each day will be a little different. Read, Pray, write, talk, cry, do whatever you need to do to make some progress. If you can’t today, try the next day. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!!

  75. Dave  September 15, 2018 at 1:14 pm Reply

    Thank you for responding to my story. It is now September 2018 and I’ve come to the conclusion that this life will never go away. I have zero support and I’m apprehensive to say I have zero life a head of me because once I admits that there is nothing left. But most/some of the time I just have no motivation to succeed any longer which is just the opposite of my family. We all played the game of life to be as good as we could, blowing by obstacles because that is what we were taught to do. We were taught to never let life kick your butt, you kicked life’s butt and always got back on the saddle no matter what. But it is different now, there is sometimes no reason to be the one making a trail and leaving a path…..just no motivation. Also it is rare, I’ve never spoke to anyone face to face that has had their entire family die, I’ve only read about it. This page is the closest I’ve ever had to discuss total elimination of ones family. I thank you for having it but I would really like to form a group that could communicate to 9ne another what it is like to have your entire family die. If there is such a group out there please post it up, if not maybe the owner of this site can get us an opportunity to meet online to answer the questions of what you do and how to live after you have no one left. That is the $1 milllion dollars question…..what now…..how do I motivate myself…how do I start back again for real and not just faking it.

    • Cindy  November 12, 2018 at 1:40 am Reply

      Hi Dave. I too lost all my family to death from cancer and other illneses. I became overwhelmed with multiple grief as i became divorced and never saw my children for almost 6yrs and lost my job as well. I ended up having a nervous breakdown luckily my daughter saw i wasn’t coping well and notified the authorities. I endsd up seeing a phyciatrist. I went to some bereavement sessions a funeral home offered and it helped tremendously to know i was not alone and what others did to cope. I also went back to church and found comfort knowing i am one of god’s children. Again not alone met some beautiful caring people. I foung another job and have some

    • Jennifer Lyon  January 21, 2019 at 12:12 am Reply

      Hi Dave,

      I can say I do understand. I may be one of the only ones who does if you have lost absolutely everyone. My entire family has died. Unlike everyone here who says “oh me too” but then goes on to list their spouse, children, aunt’s, cousins, uncle’s etc as support, as people they share a history with, memories…they apparently doesn’t understand the words “My. Entire. Family. Has. Died” actually mean. It means you go home alone everyday. Go to bed Alone every night. At Christmas, you sit alone and don’t talk to anyone. They are all dead. You don’t have parents or siblings to call. You don’t have a significant other or children. No cousins. No extra spouses you shacked up with right away. No one. You. By yourself.

      There literally is no one. I’ve yet to see anyone on these forums have that or understand true multiple loss. Having a distant cousin die and then an in-law die 5 years later will not crush you. I’m not sure how you feel you can post on here. That’s embarrassing for you. Understand people here aren’t talking about the normal day to day events. It’s multiple losses.

      Having every single person in your family die in a 14 month period crushes you. You will live forever with unanswered questions. Photo albums where you can’t ask “who is this?” to anyone bc no one is left to ask. Cleaning out ALL the estates and having no one to pass it along to. Not knowing where anything should go, no passing on family heirlooms. No more celebrating a birthday. A holiday, happy news. Every single person is gone. No one exists to remember you before this moment. Medical history? Better find it all out now!

      That is true loss. Not “I’ve got a huge family but I miss my great Aunt 14 times removed that I saw once when I was 3 months old and she died and I’m devastated.” I hope none of you who are looking for sympathy (the ones who clearly HAVE plenty of family to support them) don’t ever experience what real grief is.

      1
  76. Veronica  August 28, 2018 at 8:55 pm Reply

    I noticed a common thing all posters experience as I also experience and that is the isolation and grief from losing every relationship that had meaning and should of provided support from those in our lives who are still living. I believe the hardest thing making it impossible to break through is isolation and support from what could have been and should have been you guaranteed source of support and companship to make the feelings of being along even just a little manageable. I lost a 4 month old son to what is explained as SIDS so he died for no reason what so ever. I will just never have an answer. 4 years and 2 months and 7 days later my 4 oldest children died in a house fire at their biological fathers house and being there was a new thing so it was out of the norm and they were just getting to know who this person they called Dad was. 18 years of my life and memories that only remain with me and me alone remain because all of them are gone. The circle of life and the natural order as we humans are born and accostomed to believe and feel as a way to have unconscious ability that drives us to keep going because of purpose has been stolen and ripped from me. Brain Scramble that you have no other choice but to accept and process because choices in that are not blessings of entitlement and control you have. F*** my life!!!!!! Really!!!!! That is the bare naked truth of what I have to work with. I still have 3 living children who’s death is a possible part of my reality because we are not entitled to time and nothing we do can prevent what our moment of death comes and we are called home. And I am still mom so more of me is needed and demanded then I ever needed or wanted of myself! Being a mom was something those who did not like me never could speak out against with negative words because of dstain for me a simple word “good” was never denied me even in angry thoughts. Nothing can make escape a feeling of ultimate failure and guilt for my living children because a mom they had and were born to me entitled to that are short changed and cheated and they have not even had life experience to hurt others or wrong anyone or anything to deserve any of this? I only hope with everything in me that my best and what ever that is now will be good enough to help them understand and live life without the shadow of so many sibling losses following their lives. Losing 5 children just wont ever escape me I struggle with making sure it escapes them. Onica

    • Jennifer  November 20, 2018 at 8:08 pm Reply

      Hi Onica, I read your message and I can’t even try to say “I know how you feel” because I don’t. I know how I feel. My story and the loved ones I have lost is different from yours, but I feel as though the way you describe feeling is VERY much how I feel. I am a mom, and I have to be a mom and I don’t get to just check out, and yes it’s a blessing to have a child, but it is also so hard when you don’t want to do “this”(life) anymore. I don’t know when it gets better, if it ever does. In my opinion I think one only gets used to the feeling of hurt and never ending torture. And that somehow becomes your normal. Yes you have to be strong for your children, you have to live so you have to find a way to move past, work through, be happy… etc etc… HOW?? How the F#%K do you do any of that when you do not care??! It’s not that you don’t care about your loved ones… in fact it is the complete opposite… we are still alive because we love them so much and know we cannot leave them with the grief of losing us. But this is hard and I have been trying to move my way through life for a decade now and I feel like not a day has gone by as far as the way I feel… I truly feel for what you are living. I am very sorry for all you are living through….

  77. Amy Wilson  August 11, 2018 at 2:11 am Reply

    This all hits home and explains me perfectly. My dad died when I was 15. He was my hero. Between 1994 and 2004 I lost 2 grandparents, and a close friend. In 2005 I buried my 2 month old daughter. I lost my other grandpa in 2007. In 2012 I buried my 2 week old son. Then 2 years later lost my last grandmother and this year a woman who was like my second mother. Holy crap I can’t believe I’m still here

  78. Jennifer Lyon  April 15, 2018 at 2:18 am Reply

    Well of course someone would come up with a name for it right? “Culmaltive losses.” I know that everyone experiences difficulties and for some they feel that the’ve “lost” everyone but they still have husbands, wives, children or other family members left that I can’t help but feel a little bit of jealousy about honestly.

    In just over the course of 2017, my Mother, Father, Brother, Aunt and even my dog…even my freaking dog died. Everyone just checked out a few months apart. Pretty horrible for everyone actually, no peaceful endings.

    I had resigned from my job so I could be close to home to spend more time with everyone when I found out they were sick but I didn’t know it was going to be so fast. My job change caused some financial issues so my house is in foreclosure. I’m single, unmarried, no kids. That’s ok, no mom & dad to see me at a wedding so who cares now?

    Oh wait, but a “nice guy” did start to date me and help me try to get through all the overwhelming grief…until I realized he was only trying to get the life insurance money. Nothing like a con man scamming you when your entire family just died. That’s a cherry on top of losing your family, house and any chance at a support system.

    I don’t have anyone else. That’s it. Grandparents all dead. I’m all alone. Anyone who says “You’re not alone” is L Y I N G. I worked for most of my life as a paramedic. You are alone, there is no God, no big Pearly gate, nobody really ever talked about a “bright light” but it sells books just like the Church is a good scam too. It’s just a story made up by man.
    You are all alone. Except for those of you still surrounded with tons of family like husbands and wives or kids or parents or siblings that you don’t seem to be counting. You didn’t really lose EVERYONE. So…I guess appreciate them until the end when we all just die but don’t expect a big reunion. I’ve “brought back” plenty of patients and no…there is no Heaven or any other BS the Church sells and blow it on a nice vacation while you still can. Or save it for the funeral. I couldn’t even get discount by the last one but then again They knew I was out of family members.

  79. Jennifer Lyon  April 15, 2018 at 2:18 am Reply

    Well of course someone would come up with a name for it right? “Culmaltive losses.” I know that everyone experiences difficulties and for some they feel that the’ve “lost” everyone but they still have husbands, wives, children or other family members left that I can’t help but feel a little bit of jealousy about honestly.

    In just over the course of 2017, my Mother, Father, Brother, Aunt and even my dog…even my freaking dog died. Everyone just checked out a few months apart. Pretty horrible for everyone actually, no peaceful endings.

    I had resigned from my job so I could be close to home to spend more time with everyone when I found out they were sick but I didn’t know it was going to be so fast. My job change caused some financial issues so my house is in foreclosure. I’m single, unmarried, no kids. That’s ok, no mom & dad to see me at a wedding so who cares now?

    Oh wait, but a “nice guy” did start to date me and help me try to get through all the overwhelming grief…until I realized he was only trying to get the life insurance money. Nothing like a con man scamming you when your entire family just died. That’s a cherry on top of losing your family, house and any chance at a support system.

    I don’t have anyone else. That’s it. Grandparents all dead. I’m all alone. Anyone who says “You’re not alone” is L Y I N G. I worked for most of my life as a paramedic. You are alone, there is no God, no big Pearly gate, nobody really ever talked about a “bright light” but it sells books just like the Church is a good scam too. It’s just a story made up by man.
    You are all alone. Except for those of you still surrounded with tons of family like husbands and wives or kids or parents or siblings that you don’t seem to be counting. You didn’t really lose EVERYONE. So…I guess appreciate them until the end when we all just die but don’t expect a big reunion. I’ve “brought back” plenty of patients and no…there is no Heaven or any other BS the Church sells and blow it on a nice vacation while you still can. Or save it for the funeral. I couldn’t even get discount by the last one but then again They knew I was out of family members.

  80. Betsy  April 2, 2018 at 2:14 am Reply

    I suppose at my age (75) I should expect losses, but despite losing a baby daughter 50 years ago, it never dawned on me that I could lose both my remaining adult children within the last three years. My son died exactly three years ago – Easter Monday, 2015, when he finally decided to stop fighting the bladder cancer and metastases that he had been battling for four and a half years. He left a wife and two children – then 14 and 11. He was brave and valiant throughout the fight. He had lost his job during the economic downtown, and when diagnosed, he was working on contract (no benefits!) in Massachusetts while his wife and children stayed here in Chicago. He traveled back and forth every few weeks to visit and for therapy, and was then offered a job in North Carolina with health benefits. He, his wife and children all relocated, and spent the last three years of his life there, which my daughter and I flew back and forth to visit when we could. My daughter (his “big sister”) was my trusted and supportive companion throughout that ordeal, and she and her brother were very close. We handled it well, I think, as a family. My daughter-in-law is a treasure, and we all had long discussions about how the moment we are living in right now is the only one that’s guaranteed – we all tried to make the most of every day we had.
    After his death, his wife and children moved back to Chicago, and were once again among friends. New relationships developed among his survivors; we were closer than ever.
    My daughter (and best fried) had noticed that I was able to overcome my fear of flying to get to North Carolina and back; and engaged in a conspiracy with several of my friends to get me out to California for a wonderful trip to the Bay Are last July. We had a wonderful time and I will remember it forever as a “perfect” vacation – laughing and sight-seeing, and getting lost on various interstates. By the end of the year, it turned out she needed surgery (laparoscopic hysterectomy) and came through it fairly well. I had the flu at the same time and felt terrible that I could not be with her in the hospital, but we managed to communicate furtively via cell phones and texting: “where are u now?” “in recovery” “how do you feel?” “um how do you think?” etc. She was discharged after an overnight stay, and returned to her nearby apartment. She reacted to an antibiotic, which was changed, and had some pain; but was back at work within two weeks (she was a literacy instructor in a university teacher education program), and she and I had resumed our weekly Saturday breakfasts and mutual good-natured and therapeutic “debriefing” sessions over coffee. On February 8th, I got a call that she had not come to work, and couldn’t be reached by phone, text or email. I drove the mile or two to her apartment with my blood turned to ice in my veins; and with the help of the police, paramedics, and building staff, her apartment was opened, and she was found lifeless on the floor. ..dressed, and apparently just coming home, or getting ready to leave. It took a month for the coroner to arrive at a cause of death: pulmonary embolism.
    So now I am planning a celebration of her life, working somewhat awkwardly with my equally devastated ex-husband and his wife to navigate our way through the red tape and the immense hollowness and loss that we all feel, but have difficulty expressing to each other.
    To lose both adult children in the space of three years has left me feeling frequently just like the pith of my soul has been removed. At times, I’m able to act “normal” (when I’m busy putting one foot in front of the other); but at others I feeling totally empty, and angry, and that it’s just not possible to have my two adult children taken away so close together. There are times when I don’t know whose loss I’m grieving – and when I think about remaking my will, and the fact that I will never be able to share a joke or a laugh or a moment of enjoyment with them again leaves me in anguish. I’m living in a retirement community (I wanted to save the children from having to make any awkward decisions!), but had always envisioned that they would be around to share memories of the over fifty years of our lives that we had in common.
    I have also lost two very close friends in the last few years – friends who knew me before the children were born, and who could share memories with me. Now I feel like I’m starting over at age 75, with very little energy to draw on.
    So that’s my story of cumulative grief. I know I am not alone – I know two other couples who have lost two children each, although they have one living child left. And I am seeing a counselor weekly, which gives me some structure. But for someone who thought I knew how to “handle” loss, I often feel that I’m in way over my head! My thoughts and good wishes go out to all the others who struggle with such clusters of loss. May we all find strength together.

  81. Betsy  April 2, 2018 at 2:14 am Reply

    I suppose at my age (75) I should expect losses, but despite losing a baby daughter 50 years ago, it never dawned on me that I could lose both my remaining adult children within the last three years. My son died exactly three years ago – Easter Monday, 2015, when he finally decided to stop fighting the bladder cancer and metastases that he had been battling for four and a half years. He left a wife and two children – then 14 and 11. He was brave and valiant throughout the fight. He had lost his job during the economic downtown, and when diagnosed, he was working on contract (no benefits!) in Massachusetts while his wife and children stayed here in Chicago. He traveled back and forth every few weeks to visit and for therapy, and was then offered a job in North Carolina with health benefits. He, his wife and children all relocated, and spent the last three years of his life there, which my daughter and I flew back and forth to visit when we could. My daughter (his “big sister”) was my trusted and supportive companion throughout that ordeal, and she and her brother were very close. We handled it well, I think, as a family. My daughter-in-law is a treasure, and we all had long discussions about how the moment we are living in right now is the only one that’s guaranteed – we all tried to make the most of every day we had.
    After his death, his wife and children moved back to Chicago, and were once again among friends. New relationships developed among his survivors; we were closer than ever.
    My daughter (and best fried) had noticed that I was able to overcome my fear of flying to get to North Carolina and back; and engaged in a conspiracy with several of my friends to get me out to California for a wonderful trip to the Bay Are last July. We had a wonderful time and I will remember it forever as a “perfect” vacation – laughing and sight-seeing, and getting lost on various interstates. By the end of the year, it turned out she needed surgery (laparoscopic hysterectomy) and came through it fairly well. I had the flu at the same time and felt terrible that I could not be with her in the hospital, but we managed to communicate furtively via cell phones and texting: “where are u now?” “in recovery” “how do you feel?” “um how do you think?” etc. She was discharged after an overnight stay, and returned to her nearby apartment. She reacted to an antibiotic, which was changed, and had some pain; but was back at work within two weeks (she was a literacy instructor in a university teacher education program), and she and I had resumed our weekly Saturday breakfasts and mutual good-natured and therapeutic “debriefing” sessions over coffee. On February 8th, I got a call that she had not come to work, and couldn’t be reached by phone, text or email. I drove the mile or two to her apartment with my blood turned to ice in my veins; and with the help of the police, paramedics, and building staff, her apartment was opened, and she was found lifeless on the floor. ..dressed, and apparently just coming home, or getting ready to leave. It took a month for the coroner to arrive at a cause of death: pulmonary embolism.
    So now I am planning a celebration of her life, working somewhat awkwardly with my equally devastated ex-husband and his wife to navigate our way through the red tape and the immense hollowness and loss that we all feel, but have difficulty expressing to each other.
    To lose both adult children in the space of three years has left me feeling frequently just like the pith of my soul has been removed. At times, I’m able to act “normal” (when I’m busy putting one foot in front of the other); but at others I feeling totally empty, and angry, and that it’s just not possible to have my two adult children taken away so close together. There are times when I don’t know whose loss I’m grieving – and when I think about remaking my will, and the fact that I will never be able to share a joke or a laugh or a moment of enjoyment with them again leaves me in anguish. I’m living in a retirement community (I wanted to save the children from having to make any awkward decisions!), but had always envisioned that they would be around to share memories of the over fifty years of our lives that we had in common.
    I have also lost two very close friends in the last few years – friends who knew me before the children were born, and who could share memories with me. Now I feel like I’m starting over at age 75, with very little energy to draw on.
    So that’s my story of cumulative grief. I know I am not alone – I know two other couples who have lost two children each, although they have one living child left. And I am seeing a counselor weekly, which gives me some structure. But for someone who thought I knew how to “handle” loss, I often feel that I’m in way over my head! My thoughts and good wishes go out to all the others who struggle with such clusters of loss. May we all find strength together.

  82. Gina Graves  March 18, 2018 at 7:07 am Reply

    I can’t even describe my emotions as each day they are different and overwhelming. I have lost 20 family members including my brother and only sibling in an auto accident in the past 10 years . The last death occurred the day after Christmas of my Uncle. I have my 20 year old daughter whom I’ve raised alone in a town I did not grow up in she is now away in college and working full time. I have no significant other for support etc. Both of my parents have had strokes 4 months apart My Dad Dec of 2016 and my Mom just 4 months after in April of 2017 . My Dad has many serious health problems that cannot be fixed and his days are numbered. My mom has since had 2 strokes since then . I’m all they have to care for them and my responsibilities are mounting and taking over everything as they are becoming unable due to severe memory loss and rapidly failing health. I’m so terrified watching them both fade so quickly at the same time and knowing I will have lost all of my family. I’m thankful for my daughter but she is away at college and it is something she can’t help with , she’s young and has had her share of trauma when younger and it is something we have had to deal with alone together she has a long way to go on her road to recovery and only want the best for her. She has a bright future and a huge college load. I don’t want her to have to take on more than she is equipped and needs to focus on college and her future. I’m truly terrified and don’t know what I will do when my parents are gone, I’ve had to help them with preparations and sadly it’s not far off, Being alone in the world after my family gone is scary and heartbreaking to me. I wish I knew how to better prepare for and handle all my feelings and emotions on a daily basis .

  83. Gina Graves  March 18, 2018 at 7:07 am Reply

    I can’t even describe my emotions as each day they are different and overwhelming. I have lost 20 family members including my brother and only sibling in an auto accident in the past 10 years . The last death occurred the day after Christmas of my Uncle. I have my 20 year old daughter whom I’ve raised alone in a town I did not grow up in she is now away in college and working full time. I have no significant other for support etc. Both of my parents have had strokes 4 months apart My Dad Dec of 2016 and my Mom just 4 months after in April of 2017 . My Dad has many serious health problems that cannot be fixed and his days are numbered. My mom has since had 2 strokes since then . I’m all they have to care for them and my responsibilities are mounting and taking over everything as they are becoming unable due to severe memory loss and rapidly failing health. I’m so terrified watching them both fade so quickly at the same time and knowing I will have lost all of my family. I’m thankful for my daughter but she is away at college and it is something she can’t help with , she’s young and has had her share of trauma when younger and it is something we have had to deal with alone together she has a long way to go on her road to recovery and only want the best for her. She has a bright future and a huge college load. I don’t want her to have to take on more than she is equipped and needs to focus on college and her future. I’m truly terrified and don’t know what I will do when my parents are gone, I’ve had to help them with preparations and sadly it’s not far off, Being alone in the world after my family gone is scary and heartbreaking to me. I wish I knew how to better prepare for and handle all my feelings and emotions on a daily basis .

  84. Nicole  February 28, 2018 at 11:21 pm Reply

    I never thought this product would work. I’ve been trying to get pregnant for at least 3 year and everything I tried let me down… but for some reason I had a gut feeling to try https://goo.gl/PyDhkd and few weeks after i used the herbs sent to me, I missed my period, took 6 pregnancy tests and my dreams came true. I can’t thank you enough Dr Cantara for this miracle you have brought to my life. I also love the fact that it’s all natural and completely safe. I definitely recommended this to anyone trying to have a baby.

  85. Nicole  February 28, 2018 at 11:21 pm Reply

    I never thought this product would work. I’ve been trying to get pregnant for at least 3 year and everything I tried let me down… but for some reason I had a gut feeling to try https://goo.gl/PyDhkd and few weeks after i used the herbs sent to me, I missed my period, took 6 pregnancy tests and my dreams came true. I can’t thank you enough Dr Cantara for this miracle you have brought to my life. I also love the fact that it’s all natural and completely safe. I definitely recommended this to anyone trying to have a baby.

  86. Leanne  January 28, 2018 at 3:52 pm Reply

    It’s so hard to find people who have suffered multiple losses. Last month my father, my husband and both my children were murdered. I’m struggling to find purpose right now as they were my reason for living. People try to help but they don’t understand. Reading all these stories makes me feel like I’m not alone.

  87. Leanne  January 28, 2018 at 3:52 pm Reply

    It’s so hard to find people who have suffered multiple losses. Last month my father, my husband and both my children were murdered. I’m struggling to find purpose right now as they were my reason for living. People try to help but they don’t understand. Reading all these stories makes me feel like I’m not alone.

    • leslie  February 28, 2018 at 3:39 pm Reply

      thats horrendous. sending you love –

  88. Kelly Ozog  January 26, 2018 at 10:10 am Reply

    In 2009 my husband drowned. We were out fishing together & brought one of his friends along. My husband had dreamt his death months before. He never told me the full dream but I believe it was an out of body experience. He was shaking & crying when he told me a little bit of the dream. He said we were together doing something we loved to do, fishing. 15 months later my daughter was struck by a car & killed instantly, Trish was 19. She also told me 3 months before she died that she wouldn’t live to be 20. 4 months later my mom n law who had copd went into the hospital. The last 2 months of her life I spent in the hospital with her. What shocked me was when my mom n law was dying people asked me why I was still taking care of her. I loved that woman more than my own mother & even then you do what is needed of you. I no longer talk to any of the people who asked me why I took care of her. There were days I would cry out in pain,my heart hurt so much I felt so numb, confused, lost. I didn’t like the path I was heading down so I changed direction. I had told my mom n law before she died l was going to start going to church. I converted to Catholicism & was baptized & attend every week & I try to stay involved, I’m currently on the bereavement commity. I also meet people in odd ways like a wrong number. She had lost her husband. God works in mysterious ways. I often find myself being drawn to people I don’t even know or know what they are going through. But I let them talk & as I listen I know that talking about their loved one is helping them heal.

  89. Kelly Ozog  January 26, 2018 at 10:10 am Reply

    In 2009 my husband drowned. We were out fishing together & brought one of his friends along. My husband had dreamt his death months before. He never told me the full dream but I believe it was an out of body experience. He was shaking & crying when he told me a little bit of the dream. He said we were together doing something we loved to do, fishing. 15 months later my daughter was struck by a car & killed instantly, Trish was 19. She also told me 3 months before she died that she wouldn’t live to be 20. 4 months later my mom n law who had copd went into the hospital. The last 2 months of her life I spent in the hospital with her. What shocked me was when my mom n law was dying people asked me why I was still taking care of her. I loved that woman more than my own mother & even then you do what is needed of you. I no longer talk to any of the people who asked me why I took care of her. There were days I would cry out in pain,my heart hurt so much I felt so numb, confused, lost. I didn’t like the path I was heading down so I changed direction. I had told my mom n law before she died l was going to start going to church. I converted to Catholicism & was baptized & attend every week & I try to stay involved, I’m currently on the bereavement commity. I also meet people in odd ways like a wrong number. She had lost her husband. God works in mysterious ways. I often find myself being drawn to people I don’t even know or know what they are going through. But I let them talk & as I listen I know that talking about their loved one is helping them heal.

  90. Holly  January 16, 2018 at 11:26 pm Reply

    Grief has struck me 6 times in the past 10 months. April 2017, my daughters friend, my friends child, commits suicide, may 2017, my grandfather died, July 2017 I get pregnant with baby #5….. aug 2017 my other grandfather passes, nov 2017 my grandmother passed, dec 2017 my sister, Jan 2018, my mother. Baby is due in April and I am consumed by grief, I don’t even know where to begin, have yet to pick a. Are, but I try to remain excited through it all. I finally reached out for counseling services. I just need the storm to pass.

  91. Holly  January 16, 2018 at 11:26 pm Reply

    Grief has struck me 6 times in the past 10 months. April 2017, my daughters friend, my friends child, commits suicide, may 2017, my grandfather died, July 2017 I get pregnant with baby #5….. aug 2017 my other grandfather passes, nov 2017 my grandmother passed, dec 2017 my sister, Jan 2018, my mother. Baby is due in April and I am consumed by grief, I don’t even know where to begin, have yet to pick a. Are, but I try to remain excited through it all. I finally reached out for counseling services. I just need the storm to pass.

  92. Scott  December 8, 2017 at 8:44 am Reply

    I have truly struggled the past 5 years. God is good, and His Grace has been sufficient, but he must truly know I can handle A LOT to allow the losses recently. My last Grandparent and true Patriarch, my Mom’s Dad passed like 7 years ago, then 5 years ago my Mom-in-law passed the sweetest old lady brought me into my wife’s family like a son for 15 years died after complications of Alzheimer’s. My wife’s last close relative. This was hard as she was like a second Mom to me and my wife was close to her as an only child. The dam of loss was just beginning to bust completely. My Dad nearly dies from drinking in 2012, the second year in a row. 2013 my Mom died, alone as my Dad had divorced her and married his secretary decades before it brought lots of childhood losses up. 2015 a friend and sponsor and mentor from church betrayed and deeply hurt me while on a mission trip to Africa- my wife and I are stung and stunned. Then my buddy and wife go gossip professional and I am kind of black-balled by portions of groups that are less than professional or spiritually mature. POLITICS. That year 2016 I was asked to not go to the men’s retreat and stop attending a recovery group. And lost my job, and favorite cat died, ugh. This after being temporarily disowned by the family for insisting we have no booze around at Christmas as my Dad just released may be tempted…. I stood Devastated. Sadly I had exalted the men’s retreat and idolized my recovery “clique.” My family chose to reject me….The annual men’s retreat, and Celebrate Recovery? These were two things I counted on deeply for fellowship and healing. But God had a better plan, he makes the best lemonade out of the worst lemons, the broken healed, and showed me hope. My wife and I found a great recovery group one mile away at a sister church, more down to earth and grown up-and a great men’s group and better retreat actually held in my old high school hometown! The Lord provides. Also in March of 2016 I lost my job and haven’t worked since but have worked through a lot if grief. Movies have been very cathartic for me, and reading the Psalms helps. I got to two dollar movies and rent from the library. I cry every morning, yet practice singing daily, in the car, gym shower, even the gym basketball court when it’s empty. I am joyful! God gave us what we need to endure, overcome, even conquer our griefs. He gave me tears, time, a patient and compassionate wife. Pain almost always results in growth. Although I have lost “friends” or fairweather friends, family, support systems and opportunities, I have followed my god, obeyed and taken the results but feel Christ’s love and forgiveness has walked me through this pain so far quite creatively, with a great journey so far. We now have been reunited with my family. We needed time away from all these toxic and unhealthy people and groups, and the losses to truly develop and define ourselves in Christ, spiritually; in or respective begat truly matters, and amongst those we are around, defining who is healthy to be around, and who still needs growing. This is a world stained with sin, we can’t avoid it, reading Psalms and Proverbs, taking it easy on.myself and watching movies that help me express myself, and singing has truly kept me sane and facilitated healing. God is able, and so am I.

  93. Scott  December 8, 2017 at 8:44 am Reply

    I have truly struggled the past 5 years. God is good, and His Grace has been sufficient, but he must truly know I can handle A LOT to allow the losses recently. My last Grandparent and true Patriarch, my Mom’s Dad passed like 7 years ago, then 5 years ago my Mom-in-law passed the sweetest old lady brought me into my wife’s family like a son for 15 years died after complications of Alzheimer’s. My wife’s last close relative. This was hard as she was like a second Mom to me and my wife was close to her as an only child. The dam of loss was just beginning to bust completely. My Dad nearly dies from drinking in 2012, the second year in a row. 2013 my Mom died, alone as my Dad had divorced her and married his secretary decades before it brought lots of childhood losses up. 2015 a friend and sponsor and mentor from church betrayed and deeply hurt me while on a mission trip to Africa- my wife and I are stung and stunned. Then my buddy and wife go gossip professional and I am kind of black-balled by portions of groups that are less than professional or spiritually mature. POLITICS. That year 2016 I was asked to not go to the men’s retreat and stop attending a recovery group. And lost my job, and favorite cat died, ugh. This after being temporarily disowned by the family for insisting we have no booze around at Christmas as my Dad just released may be tempted…. I stood Devastated. Sadly I had exalted the men’s retreat and idolized my recovery “clique.” My family chose to reject me….The annual men’s retreat, and Celebrate Recovery? These were two things I counted on deeply for fellowship and healing. But God had a better plan, he makes the best lemonade out of the worst lemons, the broken healed, and showed me hope. My wife and I found a great recovery group one mile away at a sister church, more down to earth and grown up-and a great men’s group and better retreat actually held in my old high school hometown! The Lord provides. Also in March of 2016 I lost my job and haven’t worked since but have worked through a lot if grief. Movies have been very cathartic for me, and reading the Psalms helps. I got to two dollar movies and rent from the library. I cry every morning, yet practice singing daily, in the car, gym shower, even the gym basketball court when it’s empty. I am joyful! God gave us what we need to endure, overcome, even conquer our griefs. He gave me tears, time, a patient and compassionate wife. Pain almost always results in growth. Although I have lost “friends” or fairweather friends, family, support systems and opportunities, I have followed my god, obeyed and taken the results but feel Christ’s love and forgiveness has walked me through this pain so far quite creatively, with a great journey so far. We now have been reunited with my family. We needed time away from all these toxic and unhealthy people and groups, and the losses to truly develop and define ourselves in Christ, spiritually; in or respective begat truly matters, and amongst those we are around, defining who is healthy to be around, and who still needs growing. This is a world stained with sin, we can’t avoid it, reading Psalms and Proverbs, taking it easy on.myself and watching movies that help me express myself, and singing has truly kept me sane and facilitated healing. God is able, and so am I.

  94. David  December 3, 2017 at 3:38 pm Reply

    We had a big family, extremely close knit to say the least.
    In 1997 my b3st friend and brother died suddenly at my parents house from a heart attack. It was very hard on me but my family rallied and we pushed through together. In 2003 I started to feel 8 hadn’t done enough for him and started to grieve all over again, I kept quiet about it.
    Then 5 years past and after I got home from a vacation in June 2009 my strong Dad suddenly couldn’t walk. He was 85 at the time (WWII vet, Korean War and early Vietnam Nam retired Air Force in mid 1960’s) and was healthy when I left but now it looked bad. He went on hospice, which I now am not a fan of and time marched on until August 14th. I recieved a call from my older brother and he said “blank” died in his sleep last night! I couldn’t understand why he was calling my Dad by his first name, Then it suddenly dawned on me it was my oldest brother who suddenly died in his sleep, not my Dad. I was crushed. Then a short 2 weeks later my Dad died. I was devasted as my hero and my oldest brother had died.
    Then it was my Mom and me and my last brother. We were doing pretty good as we all rallied togethe. Then almost 1 year to the day my brother cam down with colon cancer that spread to his liver. For the next three years he gave it a Galavant try and fight like hell but died in April 2014. Again I was devastated I couldn’t understand how my family was just going one by one right in front of my eyes and I tried like hell to save them and I couldn’t . So then it was my mom and me. We held each other and she stayed with me for another year and a half. She was so devastated that all of her boys and her husband of 58 years were taken away from her . Then out of the blue on November 2015 my mom died, she was 89 years old. No I was left all alone to pick up the pieces . Our family even though close it all married for many years only one of my brothers was able to have children , One child to be exact . This child had been estranged for over 10 years now ……. I had no one no blood family left everybody was gone. My wife of 25 years did everything she could to keep me mentally straight and going forward . I avoided the grief as much as I could now I must leave them all behind or will take me down too.
    It is very difficult and I find if I forget about them but I disrespecting them so it’s a double edge sword.
    I understand that they are not a part of my life anymore and I will be able to move on and live my life until time my time comes. The last two years since my mom died has been crushing for me I can’t seem to get a handle on it that my big and loving family and we were all close in age is now gone. Faith has been shaken to the core I cant understand how any God would let this happen! But I’m still a God-fearing man but I will tell you first and foremost I have my doubts about Him.
    Might’ve left some things out but basically that is the exact timeline thank you for letting me post I think it helped.

  95. David  December 3, 2017 at 3:38 pm Reply

    We had a big family, extremely close knit to say the least.
    In 1997 my b3st friend and brother died suddenly at my parents house from a heart attack. It was very hard on me but my family rallied and we pushed through together. In 2003 I started to feel 8 hadn’t done enough for him and started to grieve all over again, I kept quiet about it.
    Then 5 years past and after I got home from a vacation in June 2009 my strong Dad suddenly couldn’t walk. He was 85 at the time (WWII vet, Korean War and early Vietnam Nam retired Air Force in mid 1960’s) and was healthy when I left but now it looked bad. He went on hospice, which I now am not a fan of and time marched on until August 14th. I recieved a call from my older brother and he said “blank” died in his sleep last night! I couldn’t understand why he was calling my Dad by his first name, Then it suddenly dawned on me it was my oldest brother who suddenly died in his sleep, not my Dad. I was crushed. Then a short 2 weeks later my Dad died. I was devasted as my hero and my oldest brother had died.
    Then it was my Mom and me and my last brother. We were doing pretty good as we all rallied togethe. Then almost 1 year to the day my brother cam down with colon cancer that spread to his liver. For the next three years he gave it a Galavant try and fight like hell but died in April 2014. Again I was devastated I couldn’t understand how my family was just going one by one right in front of my eyes and I tried like hell to save them and I couldn’t . So then it was my mom and me. We held each other and she stayed with me for another year and a half. She was so devastated that all of her boys and her husband of 58 years were taken away from her . Then out of the blue on November 2015 my mom died, she was 89 years old. No I was left all alone to pick up the pieces . Our family even though close it all married for many years only one of my brothers was able to have children , One child to be exact . This child had been estranged for over 10 years now ……. I had no one no blood family left everybody was gone. My wife of 25 years did everything she could to keep me mentally straight and going forward . I avoided the grief as much as I could now I must leave them all behind or will take me down too.
    It is very difficult and I find if I forget about them but I disrespecting them so it’s a double edge sword.
    I understand that they are not a part of my life anymore and I will be able to move on and live my life until time my time comes. The last two years since my mom died has been crushing for me I can’t seem to get a handle on it that my big and loving family and we were all close in age is now gone. Faith has been shaken to the core I cant understand how any God would let this happen! But I’m still a God-fearing man but I will tell you first and foremost I have my doubts about Him.
    Might’ve left some things out but basically that is the exact timeline thank you for letting me post I think it helped.

    • steph  December 28, 2017 at 9:34 pm Reply

      what a story…wow. my heart goes out to you. my faith has been shaken by my own cumulative grief story.

  96. Carol Zarate  November 17, 2017 at 8:18 am Reply

    Thank you for this article! I have been dealing with just this the last two years,it’s been a difficult road.I just hit the 2 year mark on Nov 2nd that my husband passed away suddenly.Then 3 months after that on January 26th i lost one of my brothers to suicide.Also 7 months ago my 99 year old step-mom died.She was in our family for 42 years,my dad died almost 6 years ago. Through the Lord being in my life,my church family,much counseling, family and friends i’m getting stronger.I’m still having a hard time with moving forward,but just now i am starting to feel a shift that is taking place,a step forward. Again thank you for sharing this article.

  97. Carol Zarate  November 17, 2017 at 8:18 am Reply

    Thank you for this article! I have been dealing with just this the last two years,it’s been a difficult road.I just hit the 2 year mark on Nov 2nd that my husband passed away suddenly.Then 3 months after that on January 26th i lost one of my brothers to suicide.Also 7 months ago my 99 year old step-mom died.She was in our family for 42 years,my dad died almost 6 years ago. Through the Lord being in my life,my church family,much counseling, family and friends i’m getting stronger.I’m still having a hard time with moving forward,but just now i am starting to feel a shift that is taking place,a step forward. Again thank you for sharing this article.

  98. Stephen Brockwell  November 12, 2017 at 1:59 am Reply

    In the past 15 months I have lost my father (Aug 2016), my dog died this April, my cousin died in June and I just had to euthanize my cat from lung cancer. Grief is a strange animal. My father had lung cancer (quit smoking in 1970) and died in 6 weeks of diagnosis. I flew from St. Louis to Sydney and got their a day before he passed. Two weeks there and hardly shed a tear. A little when I got back home but I was numb. Christmas was hard and since I called him every Friday I was constantly beat up every single Friday afternoon at 3pm. The slowly into the new year things eased up until my cousin died. I coped with that a little better until my dog died and I just lost it. I have had to put many pets down through the years and it is a horrible experience at the best of times. But I think with this third loss everything had built up and I was crying daily for weeks. Then my poor cat got cancer and that was the icing on that cake for 2016. Now instead of thoughts on one person or animal I now experience crying and depression whenever I think of any of them. Which is hard not to do when I have their photos around the house. I know it gets better having lost my mom in 2004. And yes it takes time but when multiple losses happen its like your hit constantly with a baseball bat. And I must say that whoever in life made the comment that having a good cry makes you feel better is so wrong. After a long hard crying session apart from the congestion, swollen eyes, etc I then develop neck and shoulder muscle aches that go on and on. Sorry to rant on this and I hope I have not bored anyone but I feel like crap at the moment and at age 63 feel totally beat up. Thank you all for listening and for all the messages that preceded this. Take care all!

    • Cherie  November 12, 2017 at 5:35 pm Reply

      Stephen,
      You are right, it does feel like you’ve been totally beaten up. I remember that feeling also – my energy sat at a “big fat zero” too. I didn’t know how to escape that feeling initially, but then sourced the help when I needed too. I hope that you have a good support friend base around you, just to lend an ear when needed. Please feel comforted in the fact that you should indeed improve. We never get over it, but we do learn to manage it with the right mind set.
      Keep strong.

  99. Stephen Brockwell  November 12, 2017 at 1:59 am Reply

    In the past 15 months I have lost my father (Aug 2016), my dog died this April, my cousin died in June and I just had to euthanize my cat from lung cancer. Grief is a strange animal. My father had lung cancer (quit smoking in 1970) and died in 6 weeks of diagnosis. I flew from St. Louis to Sydney and got their a day before he passed. Two weeks there and hardly shed a tear. A little when I got back home but I was numb. Christmas was hard and since I called him every Friday I was constantly beat up every single Friday afternoon at 3pm. The slowly into the new year things eased up until my cousin died. I coped with that a little better until my dog died and I just lost it. I have had to put many pets down through the years and it is a horrible experience at the best of times. But I think with this third loss everything had built up and I was crying daily for weeks. Then my poor cat got cancer and that was the icing on that cake for 2016. Now instead of thoughts on one person or animal I now experience crying and depression whenever I think of any of them. Which is hard not to do when I have their photos around the house. I know it gets better having lost my mom in 2004. And yes it takes time but when multiple losses happen its like your hit constantly with a baseball bat. And I must say that whoever in life made the comment that having a good cry makes you feel better is so wrong. After a long hard crying session apart from the congestion, swollen eyes, etc I then develop neck and shoulder muscle aches that go on and on. Sorry to rant on this and I hope I have not bored anyone but I feel like crap at the moment and at age 63 feel totally beat up. Thank you all for listening and for all the messages that preceded this. Take care all!

    • Cherie  November 12, 2017 at 5:35 pm Reply

      Stephen,
      You are right, it does feel like you’ve been totally beaten up. I remember that feeling also – my energy sat at a “big fat zero” too. I didn’t know how to escape that feeling initially, but then sourced the help when I needed too. I hope that you have a good support friend base around you, just to lend an ear when needed. Please feel comforted in the fact that you should indeed improve. We never get over it, but we do learn to manage it with the right mind set.
      Keep strong.

  100. michelle a schlund  November 3, 2017 at 2:24 pm Reply

    Not to mention, other factors, such as being all alone, or having great support……………..I believe also plays a huge role.

  101. michelle a schlund  November 3, 2017 at 2:24 pm Reply

    Not to mention, other factors, such as being all alone, or having great support……………..I believe also plays a huge role.

  102. just  November 2, 2017 at 11:11 pm Reply

    its been one year . Ive lost dad ,brother Chris ,3 aunts ,2 great aunts ,brother in law and 2 of my dogs…diagnosed diabetic as well as high blood pressure and have had 12 cancers cut out of me…… i have never felt so bleak . the major grief i felt has passed…. never thought i would cope with it, now i almost wish it was back as all i have is this consistent despair , i have done lots of counseling and am on meds but there is absolutely no joy to be had . thanks to you all for you stories of lost loves . it helps to know that iam not alone .

  103. just  November 2, 2017 at 11:11 pm Reply

    its been one year . Ive lost dad ,brother Chris ,3 aunts ,2 great aunts ,brother in law and 2 of my dogs…diagnosed diabetic as well as high blood pressure and have had 12 cancers cut out of me…… i have never felt so bleak . the major grief i felt has passed…. never thought i would cope with it, now i almost wish it was back as all i have is this consistent despair , i have done lots of counseling and am on meds but there is absolutely no joy to be had . thanks to you all for you stories of lost loves . it helps to know that iam not alone .

  104. Eddie  September 26, 2017 at 6:55 pm Reply

    Okay, Just stumbled on this web page. Over the past 4 months i have lost 7 good friends and relatives. Finding it very difficult and am on anti-depressents to be able to cope.. no-one can understand – I know that and do not expect anyone to know. Don’t know what to do any more. Can’t sleep, very very angry all of the time. Any advice????????

    • Yorkshire Angel  September 28, 2017 at 5:05 pm Reply

      7 souls gone in such a short time would make even the hardest person breakdown.
      You’re being really too hard on yourself.
      I know people say this often, but the good do die young/go first and then you have the elderly and very young to pile on top of that.
      It’s all too much.
      You must remember, it happened to them, not you and none of them would want you to feel so lost and down. They’d hate themselves for it. You still have your life and sometimes all it takes is for someone to get the shopping for an elderly neighbour, or walk their dog or open a door for someone…
      Someone somewhere is helpless and alone, maybe a hospital bed or an empty stomach… what I’m trying to say is you’re NOT helpless. You’re here and you can help others.
      Please don’t be sad because you’re wasting every precious day your loved ones don’t have any more.
      This has been the worst year of my life and just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, my mum died. I haven’t even seen her yet. I do know one thing though, she’d cry her eyes out if she thought of me being so sad.
      They never leave us.

  105. Eddie  September 26, 2017 at 6:55 pm Reply

    Okay, Just stumbled on this web page. Over the past 4 months i have lost 7 good friends and relatives. Finding it very difficult and am on anti-depressents to be able to cope.. no-one can understand – I know that and do not expect anyone to know. Don’t know what to do any more. Can’t sleep, very very angry all of the time. Any advice????????

    • Yorkshire Angel  September 28, 2017 at 5:05 pm Reply

      7 souls gone in such a short time would make even the hardest person breakdown.
      You’re being really too hard on yourself.
      I know people say this often, but the good do die young/go first and then you have the elderly and very young to pile on top of that.
      It’s all too much.
      You must remember, it happened to them, not you and none of them would want you to feel so lost and down. They’d hate themselves for it. You still have your life and sometimes all it takes is for someone to get the shopping for an elderly neighbour, or walk their dog or open a door for someone…
      Someone somewhere is helpless and alone, maybe a hospital bed or an empty stomach… what I’m trying to say is you’re NOT helpless. You’re here and you can help others.
      Please don’t be sad because you’re wasting every precious day your loved ones don’t have any more.
      This has been the worst year of my life and just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, my mum died. I haven’t even seen her yet. I do know one thing though, she’d cry her eyes out if she thought of me being so sad.
      They never leave us.

  106. Laurie Dearing  September 16, 2017 at 9:46 am Reply

    My children didnt pass away but I mourne them everyday in 2006 Dec 14 I was in a horrific car accident and stayed in the hospital for 52 days 21 of those were in acoma and after that was relearning everything all over again my Mom kept a journal of who came in to my room and the rest was a bunch of lies like never leaving my life I have any where between 110 to be 130 family members in one county in Montana and cant drive but that is the only way to see anyone all three of my kids oldest 33 and 5 kids the next 25 and 4 kids and next 24 and no kids none of them speak to me and have come right out and said they would rather see me dead I am not allowed to see any of my grandchildren and havent for 4 years and dont think I will before I die but my Mom and step Dad can and every sibling of mine which is 4 and all their others halves so when people ask if I have kids I say yes but I was a completely failure at it and they want nothing more in life but to die a miserable death due to the accident I have some of past memory but mostly gone so I truely have no clue why I am even being tortured

  107. Lyn  August 20, 2017 at 11:33 pm Reply

    Hauntingly sad, a term I use in identifying myself after losing my family (mostly through actual deaths in a 3 year period} but also the relationships that also suffer a sudeo death afterwards. There was a very different person that i knew myself to be…. before having the wind knocked out of me with each loss. Happy people don’ t like being around people that are grieving and meloncholy so one by one those relationships take quite a hit. Unless you’ re talking to someone that has also suffered losses without getting a chance to regain your emotional equalibrium back not even the other people closest to you {the ones you wish to regain your composure for} seem to understand even a little.

  108. Ronna  June 29, 2017 at 9:44 am Reply

    I feel like I’m stuck, I don’t feel overwhelmed with sadness much of the time but I don’t feel any enthusiasm or joy for anything either. I have been getting quite emotional lately over tragedies on the news, like the Grenfell Tower disaster or the Manchester terror attack, I wouldn’t normally get so upset over this kind of news, even though it is very sad, it’s unlike me to be consumed by it, but I have been. Let me give you some background to my cumulative and perhaps complicated grief…
    – June 2013 my normal healthy 15 year old daughter died suddenly, drowned in the bath after suffering an epileptic seizure, she was resuscitated at the hospital but her brain showed no sign of activity and was pronounced brain dead 6 hours later, I stayed with her for a few hours and then turned her machine off and listened to her heart stop beating. We had a complicated relationship and I suffer a lot of guilt because of it, I should have told her I loved her more, given her more of my time and attention etc…. I can’t change that now but I still feel so guilty for it. The death of my daughter is very hard for me to integrate, I don’t want to forget the sorrow, and I should suffer sadness everyday after all my daughter is dead. I have 3 other children, my son who is the eldest 3 years older than her, and 2 young daughters who are 10 and 14 years younger than her and have a different dad. I think we are all suffering with complicated grief in some way, especially my boy who has lost 2 very young uncles aged 30 and 35 prior to the death of his sister.
    – July 2013 my boyfriend’s grandad died, I couldn’t even muster up the energy to comfort my boyfriend, and I felt cold as ice.
    – September 2013 after discovering I was pregnant I was very happy, it felt like my daughter had sent me a gift to help lift my spirits, I went for my first scan to be told that the baby had died and I would miscarry, I did this at home which was quite horrific, my poor boyfriend didn’t know what to do to help me… emotionally I cried a little, but other than that I dint feel anything.
    – February 2014 my mum died at the age of 62, she had alcohol induced dementia and could not cope with the loss of my daughter and basically starved herself to death, we rushed her to the hospital after collapsing at home, she was rushed into intensive care where they put a drip into her jugular but she was too sick, after 2 weeks we discovered that she had a blood clot in the arteries that feeds the bowel which caused her bowel to die, we had to turn her life support machine off. I had a complicated relationship with my mum, she could be quite abusive at times and I seemed to get the brunt of it. I struggle to feel any emotion about her passing, I cried a little at her funeral but I didn’t really feel anything. I spent the next year looking after my disabled dad with no help from my 2 sisters. eventually I told them they can do it all because I couldn’t cope any longer, I was working full time, doing a master’s degree and still had the 2 little ones to take care of at home, this caused some friction and I stopped talking to both sisters for 2 years, until dad was taken into hospital with a broken leg, then we kind of had to talk to one another.
    – February 2017 after being in hospital with a broken leg, dad contracted pneumonia, the doctors said he was very sick and unlikely to survive and basically prepared us for his death, this was more of a relief I think because he had been heavily disabled for the past 12 years and was completely bed bound since mum died, by his own choice I think, he could get out of bed when he wanted to, hence the broken leg… we all found it a struggle to watch him sitting in his bed, no quality of life at all, waiting to die. Again when he passed, I cried a little but didn’t feel anything.
    I have been sorting dads affairs out, probate and fixing the house up to be sold, and to be honest I’m finding it far harder and more emotional to let the house go than I did my own parents. I don’t understand it, why would a house make me grieve more than the death of my own parents?
    I struggle to go to work, I’m in an environment where I have my own isolated office and no one really notices if I turn up or not and I have been taking advantage of that by not turning up, or turning up half days etc. I know someone will find out eventually if I keep doing it but some days I just can’t bring myself to leave the house, or my parents’ house, I tend to end up having to go there for something and not leaving as intended. I’m starting to think I have some sort of depression or something because my ‘get up and go’ has ‘got up and gone’ I don’t get excited about anything, I don’t look forward to anything I feel like I’m just existing and I want to lock myself away from the world and do my own thing. That is not healthy, and I know that if I give into this urge to isolate myself, I may never resurface…. I am truly worried about my mental health, I have started drinking alcohol daily and I self-medicate with amphetamines which doesn’t help, I know but it’s what I turn to when things get tough. My mum had mental health issues as well as alcoholism and her family history includes a lot of mental illnesses and alcoholism.
    I had a gastric operation last year to help me lose weight, I have lost 6 stone and should be ecstatic about it, I should be out buying new clothes and feeling really good about myself but I don’t, I’m still wearing the same stuff as when I was 19 stone, just tying a belt around my waste so it fits better, the last time I lost a lot of weight I felt so sexy and full of confidence, this is the most I have lost yet I don’t feel anything.
    I am about to be awarded a Masters in Science with distinction but I don’t feel happy about it, I feel like ‘what’s the big deal’.
    There is more childhood trauma to add to this story but not relating to grief. It plays its part perhaps in my coping techniques, shutting myself off and self-harm… I just feel like I have too much stuff in my pot and it’s about to boil over…

    • Strauser  July 10, 2017 at 8:10 pm Reply

      Dad fought an aortic anurism survided. Then my halve sister diagnosed with a brain tumor. The grandma showed signs of denibtia, feel like my other halve sister blackmailed father to get guardenship, father was diagnosed with cancer while only living on one lung…. Biopsy caused an air embolism stroke. Discontinued chemo. Sister discontinued chemo. Father died Dec, had to lie to sister about his death no reason to make her last days ful of pain and sorrow. She passed New year’s day as fireworks went off. Then my other half sister changed the benifiare of life insurance for our grandmother. All the while moving her ever chance she got away from my dad brother mother and I. The she passed and threatened us to not go according to the will. She’s told everyone that the will is void….. It’s not and Grandma dispized her. Now everything will go to probate court and she will end up in jail for violation of court orders for care of my grandma and I have a case of for the blackmail of my father.. and find my self consumed with a want for justice. She never understood she can’t take my memory and love and hide it and expect me to roll over and be bullied to believe without showing me hard facts. I want to just be left along but I went back to work the day after the funeral and then other big changes in my home and just a wanting for her to just leave things the way Grandma would have wanted and just hand over the house and so we could save the photos or the family earlooms to pass on but she’s going to wipe our family history off the map with her jealousy and parobia. I wait daily for a call that says she’s been arrested. And yet I say nothing to her or her kids. I don’t want her to go but I don’t want her to get away with it. I want her to be out of my conversations. I want my future back and she is painting a picture of courts and bars for herself. I want lakes and laughs wife wants house and fences painted white. Mom want her knee replacement and brother wants the history and smiles with his kids.

    • melizbeth  July 12, 2017 at 12:04 am Reply

      Thsnk you for sharing !!!I lost my Dad Fter Being the only one who tryef to get the FBi to investagate my Brother death s than eight months later my Dsd died while I did the dinner dishes.I was judt coping wuith my utter avoidance of life whern my Dog died and f i family from my church shared Fathers dsy with me and than lodt their son.I slmost fied 12 years ago in the the same way.I am at times so overwhelmed I see the sign of my intense greif…I was s miltary non combat medic but I do beleive greif can grow if a person watches sad shows . I at time turn off sad shows or stop wstching a movie if it has a cancer or suicide theme. I have trouble listen to news on radio .

  109. pamela McDonald  June 11, 2017 at 4:13 am Reply

    back in 2006 – 2007 I had 6 losses within 5 months…first my Dad in Sept 06 then my sister Feb 07 , then 2 elderly close aunts a week apart in March then my son in law end of March 2007 ….4 yrs later y ex we were married for 20 yrs passed….now my 2nd ex has been diagnosed with acute lukemia a quick blood cancer…and by grand daughter who is having my 1st great grand baby ..her husband was just told he has brain cancer…I am going to lose it….I dont sleep…im scared of everything…im sick to my stomach….nothing in life seems good anymore…the only bright spot is my new Great grand baby…..but the over shadowing of the others…..IDK what to do…

  110. Debbie MacDougall  May 20, 2017 at 11:16 pm Reply

    I had 4 losses in just under 2 years. No one and I mean no one especially my husband gets it in my family except my 95 year old grandmother and I don’t like to upset her but some days I just have to. First I lost my mother. My mother I talked to/saw eac other or 49 years. It was sudden. She was on machines and had to make the decision because my father was demented. I argued he wasn’t but it was but on me. I was her only child. Doing that was the worst feeling in my life. I was left to take care of my 85 year old father (he was 15 years older than her). He had so many health problems it consumed my grieving time. I also had to comfort my 9 year old son. They were extremely close. when I did have time to cry I could count on my cousin more like my sister to listen and comfort. Then 7 months later she was taken from our family in a motorcycle accident and died in the same manner as my mother. Machines. Now I’m lost. An aunt was somewhat helpful but not so much. I’m being told by my husband I needed to get over these losses. We were in the process of a second adoption. I turned my energies to this. My father fell and broke his hip. Now he needed more care. Thank God for my husband with that. My husband travels to China to get our second boy. He had a real hard time with him in China. He has permanent scars on his face still from him. He was very violent. We found out later he didn’t have to bring him home. But agencies don’t want you to know that. He gets worse with the violence. We had to lock our other son in our room to keep him safe because he was getting the brunt of it. Finally we had a social worker come to our house. She agreed he could not stay. He went in to respite care and is being adopted by a family in NC. Another loss. Not a death. But a loss. I am reallly a mess by now. Highly medicated and in counseling. All of a sudden my father stops eating. Then I somehow realize he’s not drinking. This is very dangerous because he had only one kidney. He wasn’t getting out of bed at all. I want to call 911. I was his healthcare proxy. But I couldn’t because he’s lucid and refused. By the end of the week he started to become demented so I could call 911. He said I know I’m never coming back here. This killed me. I had always told him he would die here. He rapidly declined over the last month. We’re told he can’t come home he needed too much care. The day before Christmas Eve I ran around securing him a bed. He ends up in the hospital again. We are now put in the same position again. My brother was supposed to be the one to make the decision. It was agreed upon with my siblings. I went through that hell once. I wasn’t doing it again. My brother was leaning over my father sobbing. He kept asking the dr what she would do. She can’t tell him that. I kept telling him that. My niece and I are on the phone with my other siblings who live out of state. It’s decided I have to do it again. He was supposed to go in the night. He didn’t. He lasted 3 days. In my private moments I told him was ok to go. Mom was waiting. I loved him. My brother and nieces had similar conversations. The last person to see him was my wonderful cousin Cindy. She told him she had to leave. She’d be back in the morning but if the angels came in the night go with them. Your wife is waiting for you. He died 2 hours later. This is the ONLY peace I have. I know my cousin helped him let go. I go to counseling twice a week now. See my physiatrist more and go to a grief group. But I still feel I am on the way to totally losing it. One dr said it was trauma. It is. And I have no familial support. Especially from my husband. He Keeps telling me get over it. I can’t. I want to. But I can’t.

    • Tammy Gates  January 5, 2018 at 10:09 pm Reply

      I recently lost my youngest brother an my mom. My brother was 9 yrs. younger than me! So when he was born ,I got to take care of him! My brother had liver disease and he really suffered at last. He was 49 yrs. Old when he passed away ,3 days before his fifty birthday. My mom passed away 30 days after i lost my brother! I am really having a hard time coping with this! Dont know what to do! I cant hamdle this!

      • Allie  January 18, 2018 at 9:32 am

        HI Tammy

        I lost my brother in May 2016 and my sister in November 2017. I understand how you feel, but I do like the thought of keeping a window of hope open that we can get through this. I tried to feel better as I couldn’t bear the sadness again, that did not work and I think it made things worse. I hope you are getting some professional support as I do think we need someone to guide us through and ensure we are not falling too far. I am so afraid for who will be next, while this is partly based in reality (cancer gene) it is also just an inability to think that I could get through this again. Those left behind are a mixture of a great support and a fear that they will be taken.

        This website is a godsend. Thank you

  111. Lee  May 20, 2017 at 1:16 pm Reply

    Thank you for this article. My sister literally dropped dead two and half years ago at age 61. One year later my brother in law died of cancer. Last summer my sister in law, and Uncle both died of cancer, then my mother in law died, closely followed by another brother in law. Now, my Mom has passed, she was 84, and in declining health, and fell. I brought her to my home, and within two weeks she was gone. I’m overcome with grief, and can barely function mentally, or physically. On top of this, I have one remaining sibling who’s an opioid addict, and is threatening to sue me for using the little money my Mom had left, to pay for her cremation. Over the years he took almost every dime she had, so when she knew she was dying, she insisted that I get POA, and take the money out to pay for her cremation. There’s nothing left, she lived in section 8, elderly housing, and didn’t own a car. I’m trying not to drink, that’s what I did when my sister died, but it’s really hard to deal with so much death, and heartache, and deal with an addict’s verbal abuse. I’ve blocked his calls, but worry about him showing up, and physically hurting me.

  112. T  February 7, 2017 at 3:50 pm Reply

    I’m 22 years old. I have lost my great grandmother, 2 aunts, and my mom and dad all in 2 years. I am now raising my 12 year old brother, while in school and trying to find a long term job. My parents didn’t leave a will so I have had to go through the long process of probate estate for both parents practically alone. I do have support from my aunt but she isn’t any where near as organized as I am. I handle almost everything. I’ve been torn from most of my extended family because of their lack of support during the end of parents lives. My friends have been incredible but they can not comprehend what I go through. And now they have found a cyst on my uterus and gyno is very nervous that it’s cancer. To top it all off throughout all this I’ve fallen in love and after all that I’ve fought through I feel like this possible diagnosis will take away the chance of ever being able to have happiness. He is disfunctional at times but the way he looks at me.. the way he loves me almost scares me. How am I supposed to believe that “it” won’t happen to me. That ill be stripped away from him like my loved ones have been taken from me. My brother and him are so close but what if they lose me? My brother is so young and I just can not fathom him losing me too. I am afraid to live. I have done close to everything I could do to be happy but it’s like the universe is rooting for my failure. The diagnosis may be benign but even still how do I trust life? My parents were dirt poor and built themselves out od nothing. They had a rocky relationship (My dad was married while daying my mom and getting pregnant with me, she left him when she found out) and were on and off for 22 yrs. After my dad got divorced. Once my brother (10 years after me) was born they decided to make it work. They spent 6 years together and the last 2 I think they started to fall back in love. My mom fought for 9 years, triple negative breast cancer. My dad fought for 2, stage 4 lung cancer. Through it all they loved me with all they’re soul could give. I had the best parents that ever lived. And I only wish they could meet my love, who has helped me dream again. But I feel like I am almost cursed or something and that I’ll never see immense happiness.. like being a mother. If this is cancer, my main option will be to have a hysterectomy because I have the genetic marker brca 1. And I won’t be able to carry or breast feed my babies. I just… I don’t want to be afraid to live.

  113. Wendy  October 24, 2016 at 10:40 pm Reply

    It’s okay to be thinking of loss not just in terms of death, right? I’m a missionary and have “lost” many relationships over the last 16 years of working in Japan. The expat community is very mobile and I have very few friends currently in my life in Japan who I’ve known for very long. Thankfully I have a strong support base back home in Australia, but they aren’t nearby for a coffee when I’m feeling down. It means that I’ve struggled recently to commit myself to new relationships because of the fear of losing them too.

    • Litsa  October 31, 2016 at 10:22 pm Reply

      Absolute, Wendy! We have written other posts on the many different types of things we grieve: people we are estranged from, have lost touch with, who are far away, who are struggling with addiction, dementia, mental illness, brain injury, etc. Then many non-person losses – losses of health, independence, identity, hopes and dreams, and many more. Please give yourself the space and permission you need to grieve these losses, while also being aware of the value of opening yourself up (carefully) to new people in your life. I realize this can be easier said than done, but it can ultimately be a tremendous support.

  114. Beth  July 7, 2016 at 9:40 am Reply

    I am so glad I found this post. I have been having such a hard time lately with the depression after 6 deaths in my world in the last 3 or 4 months plus a cancer diagnosis for me. all of the deaths were people around my age (in 30’s) and all heroin related or suicide except my uncle who had a very aggressive brain tumor.
    I am trying to deal with the crazy making stuff that a cancer diagnosis makes on top of all this grief.
    it has put me in a really dark place and I would love to talk more with anyone who is willing.
    I am in therapy (for years now), was put on an SSRI (have been before) but I went off due to possible sleep issues from it, and I do a lot of self care.
    but lately things feel really dark and doomed.
    thanks for listening bethmaciorowski@gmail.com

    • Renee  May 11, 2017 at 12:35 am Reply

      Very similar story for me. I lost my Mom & both sisters in 9 months. I had breast cancer diagnosis in the midst of this. Both of my sisters died from cancer. All the doctors say I will be OK physically but hard to take. I went bavk to see one oncologist-found out he died! Going back to work soon, hoping it will give me some structure.

      If I were not living this, I’m not sure I’d believe it if someone told me this happened to them!

      Hope you are doing better now!

  115. Tracy  June 3, 2016 at 1:45 am Reply

    I’ve lost 15 family members in 3 years (my Mother, Father and Stepmother all within 7 months of each other.

    It was hard to imagine that there are others who have been as unfortunate as I have been in the past 3 years. I’ve often said that I wanted to know the actual mathmatical odds of so much loss occurring in one person’s life in such a short time.I know the odds are astronomical.
    3 years ago in Sept. my stepfather who I loved very much was diagnosed with cancer. One month later I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 42 with at the time a 3 year old, a 7 year old and a 17 year old to raise. Fortunately, an extreme surgery took care of mine (unless this newly found growth in my throat proves to be cancer again.
    One month after my diagnosis, my 38 year old cousin was diagnosed with cancer.
    The deaths began with a great uncle (cancer), then my 38 year old cousin (cancer), another uncle (cancer), my stepfather whom I helped care lost his battle. Out of 13 family members diagnosed with cancer in 3 and a half years, I am the only one left alive.
    I went through a divorce in the middle of all of these losses too.

    My Dad was diagnosed with cancer in Feb. of last year, it was advanced when it was found and he quickly deteriorated as it spread throughout his body and to his brain. 4 months later he was so ill he needed help to walk. On June 13th my stepmother dropped to the floor with a fatal heart attack and 13 days later my Dad died.
    2 months after my Dad died, my Mom became sick (congestive heart failure) and was in and out of several hospitals for weeks at a time, endured a bypass surgery and still died on Valentines Day this year only 7 months after my Dad and stepmom.

    Raising young children while financially stressed, health issues of my own and all of these losses, particularly my Dad and my Mom( who was my best friend) have left me depressed, grief stricken beyond words and I think suffering from a form of post traumatic stress syndrome. However, accumulative grief seems accurate too.

    How does one find joy again when they’ve lost so much? People will say” you do it for your children who still need you.”
    Yes, I still somehow manage meals, laundry, homework and the necessary tasks but barely. I break down sobbing uncontrollably, tear up in the grocery store or while driving. I know longer have anything near a normal sleep cycle and the nights….oh, how long, hard and sad the nights are.

  116. AvieMare  May 23, 2016 at 6:30 am Reply

    Lost my dad in March 09. Our daughter in April 2010. My brother and only sibling in 2012. All sudden: just a phone call they were dead. In Nov 2013 my mom diagnosed with deadly brain tumor. Gave up my horse of 14 years and put my 18 yo dog down. Moved to GA from CA alone with my small service dog and 2 suitcases. My mom died at home the day after Christmas. Both sides of family are all dead except me.
    Inherited moms nice estate in GA and husband retired here in Sept 2014 after working 28 years in prison system in CA

    We are lost. Alone. I began menopause and my blood sugars skyrocketed. Lost 30lb despite Lyrica for Fibromyalgiano sleep patterns. No eating patterns. No desire to do anything anymore. I lay in bed almost 24/7 seemingly waiting for my own end. I can’t pull myself up on this one. My husband is the same as me. Yells at me a lot. Not his fault. Not mine. We are hopelessly floundering. Children and grandchildren all we have left and they are in CA. Not interested in visiting us really. We are alone. I think I’m just waiting for the end. I taught myself not to cry to be able to take care of all the business and households without a breakdown. Feel like Adam Duritz in Counting Crow’s song Perfect Blue Buildings. Good luck to you all. Peace, SC

  117. Jan Owen  May 13, 2016 at 9:31 am Reply

    I feel like I have experienced this but only with one death – that of my husband. In addition to that, I felt pushed out of a job I loved, then both my son and my husband had mental health “breaks” and were diagnosed with Bipolar type II, we separated, he got sick, we reconciled and he passed away, and all during this my mother had beginning stages of Alzheimer’s which is now worsening and taking a lot of emotional energy to deal with. I feel like my entire world changed. Two of my adult children moved across the country during this time as well. Nothing is the same. I feel like on any given day I cannot even figure out what it is that I am grieving – the loss of Phil or the loss of everything combined, and now I have lost my mother in many important ways. (I also feel very cut off from my husband’s family as well) It’s like having your house burn to the ground – nothing is familiar, nothing is as it was, or as I thought it would be. I’m almost done with my degree so that I can begin a new career to support myself. I feel very overwhelmed by all of this on so many days – trying to move forward yet having days I just want to go to bed because I feel so overwhelmed by it all. I have a good counselor and she really pushes me to care for myself and to focus on what I can control. I never, ever thought I’d end up in this place and YES! it has impacted my faith. I don’t feel faithless, just like my former feelings of faith don’t fit somehow anymore and I don’t really know what to do about that. I don’t know how to make it fit again. I really, really appreciate all of your resources and articles! They have helped me so much!

  118. deargeorgie  April 30, 2016 at 12:52 pm Reply

    It’s worth noting that cumulative grief doesn’t always mean multiple deaths. In the last few years I’ve been diagnosed with an incurable chronic pain disorder, been through a traumatic divorce, realized that my ex-husband was abusive and unfaithful during most of our marriage, been diagnosed with PTSD from both my illness and my ex, and just recently lost my father, who was a major part of my support system. I’m grieving the loss of my dreams and an able-bodied future, the loss of the marriage I thought I had and the man I thought I married, the loss of my sense of safety and trust in my own judgement, the loss of my home, and the loss of emotional health. And I can barely even speak of the loss of my father.

    I feel so much fear about going through the grief process with PTSD and chronic pain. Knowing there’s a real term for experiences like mine is comforting; I feel like I can now find more resources to help me cope and to validate my experience. Thank you for this article.

    • Monica  September 4, 2016 at 10:49 am Reply

      Thank you for sharing and explaining that cumulative loss comes in many different forms. I lost my father a year ago and a half ago to cancer. He died within 3 months if his diagnosis. I was very close to him. My parents divorced when I was three and I am now 48. I feel my mother resented the closeness I had with my father and she and I have always had a strained relationship. almost since the day my father died, I have lost my relationship with my entire family over the family cottage. The cottage belonged to my father’s side of the family and has been in the family for 83 years. I was also very close with my Grandmother my father’s mom. I spent almost all my summers at the lake. That is home to me. That cottage was left to myself and my two other siblings. My one sibling has no interest in the cottage the other one does. At first he said he didn’t want the cottage. I worked very hard to find a way to keep the cottage financially and I maintained the cottage for the past year and a half on my own. The table has turned and my brother now wants the cottage. So it’s not so much the turn of events that’s upsetting , it’s the anger and lack of communication in the family. Since I had said that I wanted to keep my share of the cottage, the rest of the family turned on me. My brother did mot want to share or come to any comprised with anything regarding the cottage. He cut my out of his life, took my off Facebook and excluded me from all family events, my sister followedd suit and so had my mother as she never felt I should own the cottage for financial reason. For the record I have never mused one family event with my fsmiky, birthdays Christmas, Easter, now both me and my don are out. A hug shock and a hug amount of loneliness. Since my father passed, I couldn’t bare to loss the cottage or think about it right after his death. I did entially request that we wait a year before any big decision were made. I was hoping we could enjoy the cottage for that year as a family remember our dad. My father was much more sensitive as I am, I feel he was the only one who ever asked ‘ how are you dear’ and truly meant it. My mother lack’s empathy and sensitivity as do my brother and sister. Not once since my father died did my mother ask how I was doing. A week after my father died so did a neighbor who was like a grandfather to my son. A about six weeks after that someone else we knew within a few weeks of being diagnosed with cancer died. Two weeks before Christmas our dog got hit by a car in front of our house. He was only give years old. This especially difficult for my 10 year old. He was absolutely devastated. we still think of our fog and sometimes think he will be home when we open the ftont door. my don sleeps with his sweater. I was struggling with the meaning of life and death. I had no family member to talk to about my dad or remenece. . I think I still grieve my divorce and what I thought my life would be like if still married with more children. I am also in a rocky relationship. I am with a man who does not want children in his life yet he has become my sole supporter of the cottage issue, as my brother is now taking it to litigation. It’s hard for some people to imagine the cottage and it’s importance to me. Some say it’s just land or its just a building, sell it. It had so much more meaning then that. Coming from a disfunctional up bringing, the cottage is the only place that brought me peace, the sense of family and friends and community. It’s a tight lake as families go back for generation. It’s the one place I can still hold onto my dad and my grandparents.

      All this has made me very emotionally and mentally ill. I could barely make it through work the last year. I started to not want to live anymore. I took myself twice to the the hospital, once with my boyfriend,. I wanted to be admitted. I just wanted everything to be over. They didn’t keep me but gave me resources to tap into all of which was useless. I’m on a wait list for a support group for 2017.. I started seeking help in January 2016. I kept going back to my doctor for help and she put me on medication. It’s helping but I still haven’t been able to cope with the loss of my entire family. I’ve had a hard time parenting my son and I have a great deal of guilt over this. His father isn’t very supportive and is dealing with his own problems. His sister is dying of stage 4 cancer. My son is actually now with his dad in another Providence visiting her. My son has been through so much. I’m having a hard time helping myself let alone him. I’ve been trying to find a book on how to parent your children while going through grief.

      I am slowly losing my friends one by one. No one knows what to do with me. I can’t seem to stop talking about my family and how they have abandoned me and the worries of going to court. My boyfriend isnt the right fit for me and my son…once he is gone I feel I will have no one. It will be just me and my son and my son deserves more

      I’m sorry for such a long and depressing story. My friends say I need to make a change, I’m hoping thid will be a start. I’m looking for parenting books for pre teen s as I feel I have disconnected from him and have missed two years if his life. I also need a book that will help me with various different types of loses not just death

      I would welcome any suggestion.
      Thank you for reading

      • Cherie  September 4, 2016 at 7:18 pm

        Hi Monica,
        I’m so sorry to hear of all the sadness you are experiencing. I have been there, and I would imagine so many others who have shared their stories on here also. Trust me honey, as much as you can’t seem to escape it all right now, it will slowly ease & get better.
        I lost my beautiful Mum, my Dad, & then my sister-in-law within a 4 1/2 month timeframe. My parents had split many years prior, and my Dad was living in a different country. My only sibling (my brother) had passed away from cancer at the young age of 14. So, I too know what it feels like to feel so alone !!! After my Mum’s funeral, I flew overseas to be with my Dad until he passed. The woman who was my fathers partner (of 8 years), chose to go to a friends 60th b’day party (in another country) and was not with him when he died. At that stage, he was in the Palliative Care Unit, and we had been told he didn’t have long to live (so, this kind of sums up what sort of person she was). I have never felt so alone!!! She had then been lovely to me up until she realised a death insurance policy didn’t exist. She withdrew all the funds Dad had from his bank accounts (which 50% were rightfully mine), she then deleted valuable photo’s of my father & I (which were taken the week before he passed). The final straw was when she buried his ashes without me being present. It took me a very long time before I could function properly.
        I didn’t care about the $$$, I was more upset about the photo’s she deleted (they cannot be replaced), and then of course the fact that this spiteful woman buried Dad’s ashes without me being there (I was devastated).
        Then one day, (almost 2 years after Dad had passed), I snapped out of it – I realised no matter what I did, I couldn’t change a darn thing. I somehow seemed to find my own inner peace. As soon as I decided that I didn’t want this bitter woman in my life, causing me any further stress, the better I was (I settled to believe that Karma will eventually catch up with her).
        I focussed my attention to my kids – as I failed to see that they too had been through all the trauma, and then had to live with me living life half heartedly – they needed ME !!! I was not helping them at all while I had been stressing about a woman whose greedy standards meant nothing to me – she had shown me her true colours, and I really didn’t want to be associated with such a person – so, I wiped her from my life !!!
        My own health (and mental health), then improved immensely. My children were so much happier. Monica, focus on what is really important to you and your children. We cannot change what has happened in the past, but remember, no one can take those beautiful memories of your Dad & grandparents away from you – cherish them fondly & and share them with your own children (as they never experienced your own childhood happiness). Most importantly, love your children as they deserve, and they will thrive from your love – you all will !!! Make sure you make your own beautiful new memories with them – both you and your children deserve every inch of happiness & love together x

  119. Deborah  April 28, 2016 at 1:23 pm Reply

    I lost my brother who was my best friend in Dec 2014. The following April 2015 I lost my aunt, who had kind of became my mother figure since my mother had Alzheimers and I had become the mother figure in that relationship. In Dec 2015 I had lost my father in-law who had become my father figure since I lost my own father in 2003. Then in Jan 2016 I lost my mother to alzheimers. Now the most recent was the loss of my 22 yr old nephew in March 2016. I feel I’m being drowned with grief. I’ve joined a grief concealing group. But I feel like my grief in insignificant compared to people who have lost children or spouces. I have also started seeing a private grief counselor. I just feel like I’m drowning and cry constantly. I have a wonderful husband and daughter and 2 beautiful grandchiodren. I know I’m needed but too sad to enjoy any of the good things life offers.

  120. Lou  April 18, 2016 at 7:26 am Reply

    My husband of 34 years died of cancer in December. Three months later the Grand daughter we raised , age 16, was killed in a vehicle rollover. All I want to do is lie on the couch and never leave the house, or make any decisions. During this same time period one of my grandsons lost 3 grand dads, his cousin (my grand daughter), and his dad was also severely injured in a rollover. We all need therapy, probably

  121. Sandy Magid  April 18, 2016 at 6:45 am Reply

    It does’nt make me happy that Im not alone in losing everybody. It went on for 31/2 years. Both my parents, neighbors, friends, pets, and my boyfriend, it turns out I lost someone every 6 weeks for 31/2 years straight. I was only 34 when it started. I feel vunrable and scattered all the time. It went on from 2003 till the end of 2006. It was like a genocide. I went to a berevement group and my 3rd time there, my friend came in because her husband died when the LAPD were chasing someone going the wrong way and killed him. He was in his 30’s and I just could’nt go back. I still saw her. I got sick and ended up in the hospital myself. Everyone thought I would go too. To be honest, I would’nt have minded. I had helped a lot of people when they were dying, and I think I did my best to help them. It was an honor that they wanted to be with me during that time and I would’nt take it back, being there for them. I feel drained yet privaliged. I just wish I could sort my self out after 10 years. My evil stepsister was a special treat, stealing my car, mine and my parents identy and doing it for a year and the cops did nothing. The one person I would have liked to see dead and no, shes fine and cost me thousands of dollars because I misplaced the will, she was getting just a life ins, and I paid the bitch off to leave me alone and refound the will later. Atleast going thru all that, it would have been nice to find it and stick her in jail. Hopefully shes dead now. Have’nt heard from her. Thank you God for all your help. Taking all the good people and leaving that bitch to deal with.

  122. Truly  March 12, 2016 at 8:03 am Reply

    I don’t usually post anything online. I am having a hard time coping with the meaning of life and my ultimate death after experiencing many deaths in a short period of time.
    First off, I want to mention that I am only 28 years old and I have a two year old son. My life actually became crazy after I had my son. Three days after he was born I went into heart failure. They were unsure if my heart would ever heal. To this day, I am not suppose to get pregnant again. My family all prayed for the Lord to take them instead of me. A few months after my diagnosis, My 63 year old grandmother died of respiratory failure. She was my best friend and practically raised me. I visited with her and my grandfather every weekend growing up. Three months after my grandmother, my father died in his sleep. My mother came home from working third shift and found him not breathing on the couch. My dad was 44 years old and had a brain tumor along with COPD. Two months after my father, my grandfather joined my grandmother in death. He was not happy on this earth without her and was deteriorating very quickly. He went to the hospital having trouble breathing and didnt come back home. A week after he was in the hospital we were told his cancer was terminal. All of those deaths were very hard on me, my most recent loss, has really hit home, so to speak. My mother died of a sudden brain aneurysm two weeks ago. I have no family other than my son and a half brother who lives three hours away. I feel utterly alone. Like alot of the commenters, I live in a very rural area and seeking therapy is going to be expensive and a lengthy process because there are not many options. I want to try to be happy again and not constantly grieving.

    • Pam  July 9, 2016 at 4:16 pm Reply

      Hello Truly, I’m sending you hugs and compassion for all you have been through. I hope you are doing ok today, but I also know the pain doesn’t really go away, so if you are still hurting I hope you are connecting somehow with someone who can listen and provide decent hugs (even virtual) . all the best to you, Pam

  123. Karsinlynn  January 29, 2016 at 6:22 pm Reply

    Finally… My feelings and experience put into words. Losing so much at once brings on the never ending feeling of falling. It feels like the floor just keeps giving out and you never hit the ground.
    Just when you think you have found a stable surface to find your footing… Bam.. You are free falling again.
    This type of grief has many twists and turns. It can uncover so much old wounds.
    It comes to the surface like a tidal wave.
    The only advice I can give is what I have experienced myself.
    Grief is a journey. It is a time for growth. It allows us to purge, let go, and heal.
    This is a journey we take alone. We may have people in our lives who grieve over the same things but our own personal emotions are something only we can experience.
    Don’t fight it for that will make it worse.
    Set boundaries. It’s okay to know your limits. Sometimes we have to keep some people or some things at bay for awhile.
    Don’t feel guilty for having boundaries.
    Don’t be afraid to have a few temper tantrums, eat a whole box of cereal, or watch reruns in bed all day every once in a while. We all need it every once in a while.
    Let your self off the hook if you have a day where you snap at people and have zero tolerance.
    I have had to hand over many things for my husband to handle when it comes to being a mother of teenage girls and dealing with multiple loss at once.
    Think of life as being on an airplane. When turbulence happens we are told to put OUR Oxygen Masks on first before we can assist others.
    It’s true in our daily lives. We need to look at those who surround us and remember that the only way to help them survive is to make sure we are well enough ourselves.
    Admitting our weakness is the greatest strength God could give us.
    It truly is a gift when you see it as a way to grow.
    May we all find peace.

  124. Debbie  January 29, 2016 at 4:26 am Reply

    Thank you all for sharing. I do see a therapist but nothing helps my Brocken heart. Medications don’t work and I can’t even get out of bed. I’ve been married 37yrs and it got to the point I had to to retire. I first lost my father-in-law, mother-in-in, mom that I took care of for 4 years by myself. I promised I wound never put her in a nursing home. 6 weeks later our best man passed at the age of 56. When mom passed I had a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized. My last day in the hospital my 44 yr old cousin died in his sleep. My family was so afraid to tell me. The following Week my friend of 15 year who was like my son died of cardiomyopathy which is heart failer which I also have but he didn’t know he had I’d. I almost lost my daughter to a miscarriage due to hemorrhaging. Then when I lost my baby brother who was a guitarist,47 died of a hearattack on stage. I’ve never recovered. He’s everywhere on the Internet and iTunes on interviews that I can’t watch. I can’t deal with my broken heart. I saw them almost everyday except my brother who was always on tour but we kept in touch. They were a big part of my lif and my best friends. It’s a struggle everyday. I just want to be me again and happy.

  125. Marie Whitby  January 25, 2016 at 7:52 am Reply

    Fate Doesn’t Care–

    Fate doesn’t care if you are ready for the first loss. And no one is ever ready for any loss. So fate is not going to give a hoot if you’ve not properly grieved the first loss before another, and another, and another loss happens. Fate doesn’t care about us. Fate doesn’t operate on our time table. It’s not about us. If fate cared about our feelings, it wouldn’t take our loved ones away in the first place. But fate doesn’t care, it’s indifferent. So let’s stop believing it’s a fair and just world where things happen in a neat and tidy and orderly and timely and fair fashion. It’s not. Life is not a fairy tale. And that’s reality. Keeping calm and carrying on anyway, despite all of it, is the only thing to be done.

  126. Dee  December 16, 2015 at 3:10 am Reply

    I would be interested to hear ideas on how to help a child (6years) cope with ‘cumulative grief’. She has lost 2 grandparents (who were quite young) and a close family friend. She saw all of them get sick and their eventual decline. She now worries when anyone get sick that they too might die. 9 months on she can still get quite distressed about the losses. We live in a small town and access to counselling is limited. We are on a waitlist. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We do things to help with ‘positive’ memories etc, but as we are dealing with our own grief too, sometimes her tears almost make me break.

    • Eleanor  December 21, 2015 at 9:56 am Reply

      Hey Dee,

      Gosh, I am sorry to hear that you have such limited access to counseling only because, as you’ve said, she’s experienced so much loss. Have you also looked into grief centers in your area?

      It’s hard for us to give real constructive advice from behind a computer screen, but I think allowing her the opportunity to talk about her experiences is important. Opening the door up for her to ask questions about illness and death and to receive honest answers. It sounds like she could use a little reassurance about the nature of common illnesses in that colds and stomach bugs and things like that do not lead to death. I would also recommend the first two coloring books on this list , but make sure that an adult is involved in either completing with the child or with debriefing the activity afterwards.

      Hope that helps somewhat.
      Eleanor

  127. Vicki  September 8, 2015 at 9:06 pm Reply

    Maybe I can get my friend, Robb, to read this. He worked in Tower 1 of the World Trade Center with 68 other people; 69 died bc one was pregnant and they count her unborn child as a victim. All of them died except him; he survived but was burned over 40 percent of his upper body surface.
    He can’t take the blast of heat from an oven without having bad memories or getting visibly distressed for a minute. He said he knew what a roasting chicken felt like and that heat really bothers him.
    I met him bc I know someone who died there but it’s only one person. This guy managed a fund for family of 9/11 Victims. He works with money now as he did then and had set one up.

    I thought the article was going to be about surviving multiple deaths that happen simultaneously, like with massacres. But it’s similar and anyway, he also lost his home in Hurricane Sandy. Then he asked me how many tragedies does God give one person in a lifetime but he’s not angry about it now.

  128. Janet  July 20, 2015 at 8:55 am Reply

    I’m glad I found this site. Multiple losses is so very hard and I haven’t found much at all to help when am entire family passes away at the same time. My 22 year old son, his 20 year old girlfriend of 5 years, and their 2 year old daughter, my granddaughter were all killed by a drink driver in a head on crash seven months ago in Dec. 2014. Trying to process all three of them gone at once, and so young, had been horrible. Any books, websites, or anything to help process this and deal with it would be much appreciated. Your site helps

    • Litsa  July 20, 2015 at 5:34 pm Reply

      Oh Janet, I am so sorry for all you have been through. I cannot even begin to imagine. What type of books are you interested in- books about grief or memoir-type books? There are many books out there and I just want to make sure we are steering you toward something that meets what you are looking for.

  129. Elspeth  March 7, 2015 at 5:09 pm Reply

    I lost my mother 24 years ago, the worst part was that she rang me to tell me that she wasn’t feeling well, it took me 20 mins to drive to her house and I tried unsuccessfully to recussitate her. She was 58. Six months later, my husband committed suicide, with the help of a neighbour, I had to cut the rope to get im down ffrom a tree. I had three children 7, 5 & 2, I buried my grief and bought up my beautiful chidren on my own. I had no family support as my in laws live in N.Z. and my three siblings live in Sydney. Thankgoodness for neighbours and parents of the childrens’ school friends.
    On the 24th anniversary of my husbands death, I inexplicably became suicidal. It would appear that grief is catching up with me, i feel as if i have been run over by a huge truck!!

    • Litsa  March 7, 2015 at 6:38 pm Reply

      Elspeth, I am so sorry for you losses. Even without the traumatic circumstances of the deaths those would both be extremely difficult losses to cope with so close together. It is not uncommon to delay or repress the intensity of grief and trauma in order to manage the realities of day to day life – especially things like raising three young children without support from family! When we don’t deal with emotions they often creep up later, much like you describe. If you are having any thoughts of hurting yourself please seek help immediately. You can walk into your local emergency room or call the suicide hotline 1 (800) 273-8255 (if you are in the US) and +44 (0) 8457 90 90 90 (if you are in the UK). It is never too late to being working through the emotions of grief to begin moving forward. Though the early stages of grief (even when it is delayed and sets in well after the death) can feel hopeless, most people find that with time and support things begin to improve. I hope you find some support on our site and, again, I encourage you to please seek support right away for your thoughts of suicide. If you are struggle to go to an emergency room or seek professional help on your own, please consider calling one of your children or a friend who may be able to assist you in finding help.

  130. melody  February 24, 2015 at 5:11 pm Reply

    I have lost 6 members of my family 1 in July, my mother, Jan.8,2015 I lost my father & January 24,2015 I have completely lost the rest of my family my 50yr old husband, my 23 ur old son my 21 ur old daughter n my 36 ur old nephew, I am the last of my family except my daughters 4 ur old son who also was left behind, I have tried to get professional help but none available in my rural area until march 10 then after 3 visits with therapist I will get to see a Dr April 24th, like today the 24th is a anniversary of death, so somebody tell me, how do u deal with that!

  131. Vivien Harrison  February 17, 2015 at 4:27 pm Reply

    Its been 18 months since my unofficial husband died, 19 months since i lost my best friend and 2 years since my two aunties and Mom died. Since that time my two children (both adult daughters who have greatly benefited from the last three family deaths) and my only sibling severed any relationship with me. Iam overwhelmed with the emotional fallout from the abovementioed losses. Even though I received professsional help (6 free sessions) with a very good grief I am still confused and fatigued living in this black hole. All of the above comments by fellow grievers affected me deeply. The concept of cumulative grief is inspiring me to research a bit more. The kinship that I feel wjth the authors of the article and comments somehow sets me free to find more outlets and coping skills for living in this darkness. Thank you all so much for this help Guess Im stuck.,. .

  132. Vivien Harrison  February 17, 2015 at 4:26 pm Reply

    Its been 18 months since my unofficial husband died, 19 months since i lost my best friend and 2 years since my two aunties and Mom died. Since that time my two children (both adult daughters who have greatly benefited from the last three family deaths) and my only sibling severed any relationship with me. Iam overwhelmed with the emotional fallout from the abovementioed losses. Even though I received professsional help (6 free sessions) with a very good grief I am still confused and fatigued living in this black hole. All of the above comments by fellow grievers affected me deeply. The concept of cumulative grief is inspiring me to research a bit more. The kinship that I feel wjth the authors of the article and comments somehow sets me free to find more outlets and coping skills for living in this darkness. Thank you all so much for this help. .

  133. Jamie Eve  January 8, 2015 at 3:55 pm Reply

    Tommorow will mark the 5 month mark since my little sister committed suicide, and its also been nearly 2 months since my dad passed away from liver cirrhosis. The last few days have felt very difficult and I think the shock has worn off. I find now that I’m in a constant panic and flitter between feeling like I’m coping and feeling that its all leading to an impending doom. I am greeting panic attacks at the fear of losing the rest of my family. My mum has suffered with an eating disorder for 25 years and has had 3 heart attacks as a result and I’m truly petrified that she isn’t strong enough to deal with this. I’m starting to feel like I won’t be able to cope and can’t be bothered to start anything through fear of going back to square one. I only have one shot at life and feel like my shot has been taken away from me at the grand old age of 25. I attend a proffesional wrestling school on sundays which is a good release bit it hits me as soon as I walk out the door. The emotional rollercoaster is insane and I truly appreciate the calm moments. For anyone else that’s going through the same kind of thing I empaphise with you more than ever.

    • Cherie  January 8, 2015 at 8:52 pm Reply

      Jamie Eve – you have been through so much luv. The feelings you have, I also had – but trust me, the pain does ease – it doesn’t go away, but I think we learn how to manage it over time. I too had panic attacks, fears, etc. I wasn’t sleeping, couldn’t function at work, struggled to drive even – my whole body was a mess. I did recognise it myself and seeked help from my doctor. Be open with a professional if you can – sometimes it’s really nice to be able to talk with someone “outside the square” to vent how you feel. Anniversaries are tough too – I’ve found comfort in focusing on celebrating their life at this time – in amongst all the sadness, you must remember that they would all want you to be happy – and I would imagine so does your Mum who is still here. It’s great that you have your wrestling – keep it up, as it obviously is a huge release for you 🙂 I was fortunate to have a wonderful friend base, who I consider my family – they have been my rock & backbone at times – especially in my darkest days – I don’t know how I would have managed without them. I hope you have a special someone that is there to support you too. I think you have to remember, it’s ok to feel everything that you are feeling – it’s ok to be sad, mad, tired, etc. Try to focus on your own strength for a while. A year ago, I would have told you that I wouldn’t cope – I can honestly say now, that I am a much stronger person than I thought I could ever be. I wish you all the very best !!!

    • Eleanor  January 13, 2015 at 10:42 am Reply

      Hey Jamie,

      Thank you for your comment. You have been through a lot and it sounds like you’re still dealing with a lot. Other than wrestling, do you have any other support in dealing with all of this?? A good friend, support group or therapist?

      Eleanor

  134. Jaesa  December 26, 2014 at 11:21 pm Reply

    Still seeking relief no end in site only thing I look forward to is death:/

    • Litsa  December 26, 2014 at 11:54 pm Reply

      Jaesa, I am so sorry for your losses. I know that there are many times that you can feel absolutely hopeless and like it will never get better. As hard as it is to believe there are many people here on this site, and well beyond, who have been through the depths of that darkness and somehow managed to come out the other side. have you saw any support through a grief counselor or support group? Though they are not for everyone, they can be a tremendous help. If you were thinking ofhurting yourself in anyway, please seek professional help right away! You can always just walk into your local emergency room, or you can call the suicide prevention hotline (1-800-273-8255).

      We hope you find some resources and support on this website. If this is your first time here, we have a huge array of posts on grief and loss. We have a section on coping if you’re specifically looking for things that are concrete and practical. We also have topics on everything from music to art to writing, grief theory, dealing with specific types of losses, etc. Please remember that you’re not alone in the feelings that you’re going through and, as hard as it is to believe, it can get better.

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  135. D'Lynne  October 3, 2014 at 11:38 pm Reply

    In June 2007 my 9-year-old niece found my 46-year-old sister dead in her bed. They say it was diabetes. I believe it was suicide. I was divorced after 22 years of marriage in August. My ex-husband found my best childhood friend dead on the side of the road. Drugs took her. In April 2010 my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died three weeks later. I watched him take his last breath. In June 2011 my nephew died on the road in front of his mother as a truck tire ran over and crushed his little head. He was 4. On Dec. 29, 2011 my brother blew his own brains out in a hot parking lot in Arizona. He was 46. Months later we realized my mother had lost her mind. I moved her from Arizona to Utah and have taken care of her for three years with ABSOLUTELY NO HELP from my family members or extended family — with the exception of my 16-year-old daughter who did her best. She finally moved away to go to college and escape the grief. Two of my children hate me because I have been low-functioning in the past few years. My extended family rolls their eyes and says I have always had a “poor me” complex. I have experienced cruelty beyond belief. There cannot be a way to recover from the terrible losses I have encountered. The worst loss of all is my faith in family, love and acceptance. I can’t wait to leave this life.

  136. Cherie  August 26, 2014 at 9:26 am Reply

    Thank you Eleanor – your kind words are much appreciated. Still have the odd bad day with weepy moments, but I am feeling stronger & am managing feelings a lot better. Has helped to openly express my feelings to close friends & family. And accepted that the healing will take some time.

  137. Cherie  August 26, 2014 at 9:20 am Reply

    Kimberly – this is directed to you. I have just read your post & really felt your pain – I can totally relate to you ( read my story a few posts earlier ). I too have lost my immediate family (mum, dad & only sibling). I just wanted to know how you are doing now, and hope you are coping better. And know that I genuinely understand & support you. I still have good & bad days – but the bad days are getting fewer. Soldier on honey & take good care of yourself . Here to help if you need someone to chat too

  138. Kimberly  June 14, 2014 at 3:54 pm Reply

    Thank you for this article, I am coming up on the anniversary (tomorrow) of my brother’s death 2 years ago. My only sibling, he was diagnosed with end-stage cancer and died 5 weeks later. This followed 14 months after the death of our mother, also from cancer. The three of us were very close, they were my everything in life and the two people that gave me unconditional love and support, and I have struggled with severe grief. To add to that, my father – the last member of my immediate family – has been on a steady decline with MS and dementia. I just had to place him in a nursing home. I have a hard time, people think I should be “better” and yet, I feel worse inside. My brother and I had just reached the stage after mom’s death where we were ready to truly live again – we made many plans to travel together and made a pact to stick together through this (we had both just ended long-term relationships, and I had just had my own serious life-threatening illness 2 months before his diagnosis), and were closer than ever. I went through serious avoidance after his death, and have sought therapy in the last 6 months. I feel as if I’ve just began to grieve his death, and haven’t fully been able to get through the stages of my mother’s as well. My therapist reminds me often that I have been through what most will not, especially at 34 years old. But I wish I had the same support outside of therapy. I lost most of the people I had before my brother’s death, partially my own doing by pushing them away. I don’t have much of a support system at all, and the more time passes and I am “stuck”, the more crazy I feel and often have thoughts of ending it all. My health has seriously declined, but I hide this (as well as my feelings and grief, because others seem to think it’s “all in my head”. Anyway, thank you for this, I didn’t know the terms of losses so close together, and can now research better in my struggle.

    • Dedra  December 20, 2016 at 1:05 pm Reply

      After reading Kimberly’s post it really resonated with me. I know it’s 2 years old but I now click with those who lost an only sibling. I lost my older sister from heart problems last year and not even 10 months later my mothers uncontrolled diabetes landed her in the hospital where she developed dementia and now end stage Alzheimer’s. Her and my sister were my everyday. My sole and main support and my best friends. They were the only people I saw Every. Single. Day. I think if my sister were here we could cling to each other over my mom and that would help a lot. Not even a year later I’m dealing with another profound loss.

      I’m losing my mind already. I feel lost and terrified at being alone and having no one close that I trust to go to. I have no friends that can be that available to me. I just feel empty and shattered. I think if suicide all the time. There will be no one there for me when I need someone. Therapy helped for a while but I got tired of my thoughts being analyzed, I just need a regular conversation.

  139. Mary Colletti  May 18, 2014 at 2:19 am Reply

    I lost my husband and two of my adult children in a four year period. The last one was my daughter, 35, 2 ½ years ago. I have one child left and a total of five grandchildren. There won’t be anymore. I am wondering how long I will cry and how long my heart will hurt.

  140. Eleanor  March 18, 2014 at 11:48 am Reply

    Cherie, oh my goodness you have been through so much this past year! I am not at all surprised your feeling this stress physically as well as emotionally. Nothing could have prepared you for even one of these emotional situations and now you’ve been through 4 with 3 being in one year. I don’t know how open you are to talking to a professional, and I only offer this from my own personal experience, but sometimes just even a few sessions can help you get the relief you need. That and try and find some time for self-care. Your a wife and a mother on top of all this so I’m sure it’s not easy, but a few moments a day for yourself can be priceless. That and a vacation!

  141. Cherie  March 15, 2014 at 12:54 am Reply

    So pleased I found this article.

    I lost my mother in Oct, my father 27 days later ( they were separated for many years, and living in different countries). Both died after long illnesses, and as an only child, I found this terrifying & extremely diffificult to be there for both of them – especially as geographically they were so far away. I did have a brother whom passed away from cancer when he was 14 years old (I was only 12), so this too I have had to live with in my younger years. I managed to be with my mum when she passed with my husband & my 2 children with me. I then flew overseas and spent 2 weeks with my Dad, and again was with him when he passed away. I was alone here though and found this extremely difficult. Now, two weeks ago, my sis-in-law passed away suddenly. I stayed at her side with my brother- in-law, until we enviably had to switch her life support system off. I feel so emotionally shattered. I don’t yet feel that I have grieved full for mum, and with the other tragedies which followed, my own health is suffering – no energy, concentration & very lethargic – crying an awful lot!!!. Just want to get life back to normal !!!

  142. Rebecka Allen  February 1, 2014 at 11:24 pm Reply

    Cumulative losses and grief can take a very physical toll on your health. Adrenal fatigue and failure is one possible side affect. Not only did I feel like I was going crazy from grief, I knew something was wrong with me, physically. It took 14 years and countless specialists until I found a doctor that put all the pieces together.

  143. chelsea  September 30, 2013 at 2:54 pm Reply

    Thanks for so many great articles with such useful information. You really understand grief and provide such valuable insight… very impressive and thank you!

  144. Litsa  August 5, 2013 at 9:35 am Reply

    Thanks Celeste!! I am so glad you have found a good therapist to work through some of this – that is an unbelievable amount of loss. You bring up such an important point that, not only is there the pain of grieving multiple losses, but then the impact it has on our outlook on life. Though I mentioned our faith and spirituality suffering, on an even more basic level it just skews the lens through which we look at the world and can definitely make it hard to view the universe with the same sense of trust and optimism. And yes, here’s hoping! Though it is cliche, grief can be transformative . . . what people often fail to mention is that it takes time. Sometimes lots and lots of time!

  145. Celeste  August 4, 2013 at 5:23 pm Reply

    I love this post, so much. Thank you for writing it.

    When I suffered a devastating bout of depression after my son was stillborn, I sought help and connected with a very supportive therapist. The work I do there has helped me come to terms with the losses I have suffered throughout my life – both my parents, an uncle, my first boyfriend, my beloved grandmother and her 10 siblings, two cousins who were murdered in front of their children. There has been a lot of loss in my life, and they’ve all stacked up to make me distrust the universe. Therapy has been leading me on the path of unraveling my grief, and I hope that I can finally embrace life instead of living in grief.

    Here’s hoping, right?

    Thank you again for your very thoughtful post.

  146. Litsa  August 1, 2013 at 7:57 pm Reply

    That is a tremendous amount to deal with in such a short period. It is incredible the stories we tell ourselves and how unrealistic they can be sometimes! I can see how you could have felt a guilt for a grief over the end to your relationship as a “lesser” loss, but all losses truly are unique and we have to grieve them all in their own way. Not to mention that the end of a relationship at such an unbelievably difficult time in your life I am sure brought an even deeper complexity. It is hard to lose someone in our support system when we may be most in need of support! It is funny, because when we wrote a couple posts about comparing losses, I think we were primarily thinking about comparing our own losses with other people’s losses (https://whatsyourgrief.com/comparing-grief/). But you bring up an important point, which is that sometimes we compare our own losses and that can be equally dangerous . . . Thanks for sharing.

  147. Litsa  August 1, 2013 at 7:45 pm Reply

    Thanks for your words of advice. I am only sorry you have had to live so many losses to find that wisdom. You have an incredible gift for writing. I totally agree with your words about ‘philosophical’ statements from people. Though often well-intention, they so often come at a time that we are not in a place to hear them. That quote does sum it up well. Also, the point about grief hitting you at unexpected times in unexpected places is one we talk about here a lot and I think so many people related to. If only we could plan for the moments it was going to totally overwhelm us. Unfortunately, I think this is usually something people cannot understand until they have lived it – that feeling of thinking you have it together one moment, then totally losing it the next. Thanks for sharing here . . . I know your words will help others here . . .

  148. Kiri (The Angel Zoe Kindness Project)  July 31, 2013 at 3:08 pm Reply

    Thanks so much for tackling this topic. I asked about it because I had been talking about it with a friend who was dealing with multiple loses, but then when I think about it (I can be really blind to myself sometimes) I realised I am also dealing with the same. In the last five years I have had the grief of dealing with my daughter’s cancer diagnosis, her dad leaving us, my dad dying of cancer, my daughter’s relapse and death and then my boyfriend of two years deciding I was “too sad” and ending our relationship. I was feeling guilty about grieving for that relationship when the loss of my daughter was a much bigger and more profound one. But the bit that resonated for me in this blog was “Grief is as unique as each person we lose.” It’s ok to grieve in different ways for different losses (even kind of simulataneously). Thank you.

  149. Jamie Gillam  July 30, 2013 at 1:02 am Reply

    Yes, your description of future options, actions, etc. is right on, for me at least. It was my poor luck not to have found this site, your blog, or other similar types of help back then. Of course, so much was different 10 years ago. I finally found a psychiatrist who helped a bit, although she put me on meds that I didn’t want to keep up with after awhile. Can’t say it was a wrong decision for me, but for others it’s a case by case situation. I know this is a controversial position to take, and for many folks prescription drugs would be a lifesaving option. I can only answer for myself.

    This ‘experience’ has cost me a great deal. I had gone back to school at 40 and became a middle school English teacher. I have always been a musician, poet and artist all around. The poetry became an outlet for my thoughts and feelings since it was impossible to speak and vent and grieve to anyone. Music and teaching though became casualties. I just recently pulled my piano out of storage after 10 years and started playing a little while ago. I quit spending time with children too but haven’t been able to see my way back to that – so far.

    One thing about the topic of this blog, grieving. This was REALLY hard for me. I fully understood that my feelings needed to get out. I’ve always been very comfortable in showing them…the artist in me allows easy access and expression of feelings. But as you know, grief comes without a ‘heads up’, without notice of any kind. So it’s always a movie, a song, a TV show, a stupid commercial, or a simple innocent comment that brings up the well of emotions that should NOT be pressed back, if possible. But it’s never convenient, is it? At work, at school or at the store, I could be found breaking down anywhere in public, at anytime. In the middle of it all I kept thinking, “Okay, just get through this one and it will slowly get better.” Good and true advice, no doubt. But like a tsunami wave, it was the unstoppable onslaught of one death following another that kicked my ass. Grief followed shock over and over.

    Looking back, I can’t understand how I’m still here. No one should ever have to die before their children. I was ready and tried ‘quitting’ a few times: coming back ‘home’ was too inviting in the middle of the storm while I was so alone. But I staved that off somehow. No fear or cowardice for the act, that’s for sure,…in the middle of the battle such feelings fade.

    One last comment for anyone who cares to read this: there are adages we encounter in life which seem too simple for times like these. Our base of ‘reality’ shakes from that tsunami such that sayings like, “this too shall pass,” “time heals all wounds,” “we’re responsible for our own luck” or “God would never give us something too hard for us to handle” (paraphrased) turn sour and false. It’s NOT my intention to take from people any hope or belief in God or from passing time when they want it, when they need it. But simple, homegrown philosophical statements like these only pissed me off back then as I grasped at them to keep from falling deeper. They meant so little, especially coming from someone who had never been in that dark hole.

    As a writer I collect quotations, and this one from Linda Berdoll explains better what I mean:
    “Neither enemy faces, nor the mothers that love them, come to mind when one is thinking of nothing but endeavoring to survive. Philosophizing about war is useless under fire.”

    Looking back, if I could have done anything different, I would have searched out group meetings for support. I think if I could have spent time with anyone who ‘knew’ what was real and true about “cumulative grief” (God, I never even HEARD that phrase until this blog!), that would have helped me a lot.

    To anyone who is where I have been, I offer this advice: believe that you can get through this because someone (like me) has survived it too. Seek out those who are or have been where you are, online or in the real world. These are the only people you will want to listen to. Also, don’t feel bad about grieving (especially for men), just find your ‘quiet safe place’ and let it all out. And don’t feel bad about the anger you have for the world, for God. The world doesn’t really matter right now, and God can handle your anger.

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  150. Litsa  July 29, 2013 at 11:25 pm Reply

    Oh Jamie, I can’t even imagine so much loss in such a short period of time! I am so sorry that you weren’t able to find advice or support from your counselors that worked for you. It is commendable to you are still putting one foot in front of the other, and I appreciate you sharing – your experience will undoubtedly provide hope and inspiration to someone else early in the experience with multiple losses. You are right that wounds never fully heal and the cloud of grief never fully passes. I often feel the best we can do is appreciate when it becomes easier, even just a little, and share with one another the things we’ve learned along the way.

  151. Litsa  July 29, 2013 at 11:15 pm Reply

    Thanks Marty! And thank you so much for sharing this link . . . the situation your reader shares demonstrates so clearly the complexity of cumulative grief, and you provide such a thoughtful reply. Thank you!!

  152. Jamie Gillam  July 29, 2013 at 7:11 pm Reply

    I know about this. 13 friends and family members died or went missing – one by one – in 6 months time, from Nov 2001 to March 2002. Basically, every single person I knew or grew up with. Uncles, parents, children and best friends.

    My biggest challenge at the time was finding anyone who had gone through this. All of the advice I was given, including from the counselors I began seeing, said the same thing…depend on your support group. But they all were gone, and when I explained this to them, their advice stopped. Nothing to say after that.

    It’s been over 10 years now, and I’m still here, still keeping the faith, still getting up everyday looking for reasons to continue on. But, obviously, it’s not been at all easy. Even just sharing this information is, and continues to be, difficult. Usually I refrain from ever bringing it up to new friends I meet who quickly become people I have known the longest. In the beginning this was a problem…I couldn’t stop talking to anyone, strangers all, about what I was going through.

    Time doesn’t heal these wounds, but it makes them less damaging. This, too, shall not pass, as Mom had promised. But what else can a son do?

  153. Marty Tousley (@GriefHealing)  July 29, 2013 at 11:06 am Reply

    Well done, Litsa! I so appreciate your efforts to inform those who are grieving and those who care for them. I’ve added a link to this article at the base of my own piece on the same topic, which your readers may find of interest: “Coping with Cumulative Losses,” https://www.griefhealingblog.com/2013/02/coping-with-cumulative-losses.html

    • elizabeth  January 28, 2017 at 4:32 am Reply

      This is the first time I heard of cumulative grief. I never knew that there were so many other people experiencing such deep pain from loss. At 7 my big sis died. Before that my 3 year old sister died. Every few years another precious loved one would pass. Including my Dad at 13. Then my big brother. My oldest brother died after that. By this time I am grown. I thought the worse had already happened until my mom got sick and died of a rare brain disease. A year later my little brother was diagnosed with brain cancer. He died a year later. People said that my situation was “rare” and “weird”. Today I was heading a bible study with 2 other girls. At one point one said that if we do this and that while being obedient to God basically everything would be all good. When I explained that my little brother was one with God and began traveling the world at 15 to help the poor, translate for missionaries going up the Amazon river to bring meds and glasses to the tribes, and more. I never knew anyone more dedicated to making the world a better place yet he died a slow painful death at such a young age. I felt like I couldn’t totally trust God to keep me emotionally safe. It was not what a bible teacher is suppose to say. Then an old man told us that his wife had passed away a month ago. He was so glad I was there because he said that we have something in common. I realized that pain like this can also bring beauty and comfort to others. I will cope by helping others cope. I may need additional help and I am thankful I found this site. The thing is I dream that I am with my mom or dad or little brother. I hear their voices and see their faces clearly. I am happy. Then I remember they died. I tell them .I cry and beg them to stay. The thought of waking up without them hurts me to the very core. I wake and it is like they just died. The 4 years that have made things less traumatic in time seem to be non existent for about 20 minutes. I cannot or will not explain how hauntingly sad it is. I don’t know what is going on with that. Or how to make it stop.

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