DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE
I’m a proud mother, a grieving mother, and someone who believes deeply in the power of connection through shared sorrow and love.
My son Terik died on November 2, 2021, at the age of 29, from aspiration while in hospital. His sudden death shattered my world, and rebuilding life without him has been the hardest thing I’ve ever faced. My husband and our other children are still learning how to navigate this life without him, each in their own way. Through the pain of his loss, I’ve found connection and community much of it through The Compassionate Friends and that has brought a measure of meaning and comfort in the midst of grief.
After Terik’s death, I found myself searching for anything, anyone who understood this kind of pain. That search led me to The Compassionate Friends, and eventually to attending TCF Annual conferences in Denver, New Orleans, and Bellevue. Those events and the people I met there gave me something I didn’t expect: a way to feel connected to my son, and in that, a small measure of comfort in the midst of grief.
I joined the TCF Canada board as a way to stay connected to my son and to offer support to other grieving parents who, like me, have felt alone in their sorrow. I’ve hosted Canadian meet-and-greet tables at the U.S. conferences and continue to look for meaningful ways to help others feel seen, understood, and less isolated in their grief.
My background includes property management, community work, past provincial PDD board member and peer support. But more than anything, I bring my lived experience as a bereaved mother who knows that we never “get over” the loss we learn how to carry it, together.
I’m honoured to serve on the national board and help ensure that no parent, sibling, or grandparent in grief ever feels alone.