Parents who are suffering the unimaginable loss of a child now have more help available in Burnaby. The local chapter of The Compassionate Friends hosts a regular support group for parents whose children have died, and organizer Grace Van Gauthier has added a second monthly meeting.
“The love you have never dies. People who have not lost a child will never understand what we are going through,” said Van Gauthier. “If you don’t deal with grief, you’re just postponing your grief. You need to talk about it. And you need people to understand that the love you have for your child is there till the last breath.”
The story of how Van Gauthier lost her son, Shaun, ran in our paper in 2014, when she first started the group. Since then, the group has been going strong, with seven to eight parents showing up each month. Van Gauthier said it is sad to say the group is going well.
“It’s unlike any other meeting. When I say it’s going well, I mean more sad parents are showing up,” she said. “I think this chapter is in a good place where more people can come. Every month, more parents are coming.”
The Compassionate Friends meets for two hours, once a month, to share their stories of grief. The next meeting is on Thursday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. on the fifth floor of the Pioneer Resource Centre at 4535 Kingsway. More newly grieving parents have been joining the group, so Van Gauthier has added a second meeting.
Van Gauthier said usually mothers come to the meetings, but now more fathers are showing up as well. Van Gauthier also needs more volunteers to help run the group. To join, or for more info, email [email protected].
