Coping with the Loss of a Teenager

    The death of my teen was the most difficult and painful experience I have ever been through. Nothing could have prepared me for such a loss.

    Coping with the Loss of a Teenager

    The death of my teen was, undoubtedly, the most difficult and painful experience that I have ever lived through. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for such a devastating loss.

    Coping with the Loss of a Teenager

    Sarah's Story

    Sarah was the daughter that all parents hope to have. She was kind, generous, hard-working, and truly cared for the wellbeing of others. She held student council positions throughout school, volunteered at our local hospital, and played on the varsity basketball team. Sarah loved her family and we always felt lucky to have her.

    Shortly after turning 17, she began getting frequent migraines that would keep her home from school. She became lethargic and her attitude started to change. Because of these changes, we took Sarah to our family doctor who recommended she see a specialist. After a few tests, our worst nightmare began to play out in front of us. Sarah had Stage 4 Glioblastoma and her treatment options were limited. Together we decided that we would go ahead with any treatment options available.

    Sarah bravely fought and battled cancer for the next 6 months, but ultimately she lost her battle to the horrible disease.

    As a family, we were broken. My wife and 2 other daughters had never faced a challenge like this before. We were angry and sad and blamed ourselves for not seeing signs of the disease earlier. What we’ve come to accept is that the signs simply were not there.

    Throughout the weeks that followed Sarah’s death, the outpouring of support from her friends and our community was incredible. We heard countless stories of how Sarah had befriended people in her school that did not have many friends. She cared for each person that came into her life and it was her goal to be kind and encourage each of these people. The stories we heard made us incredibly proud of her and grateful for the time we had her in our lives.

    I will say that it is still painful and difficult to this day. I’m not sure the pain will ever go away. But we know that Sarah’s purpose in this world was to bring light to others and that is exactly what she did. She helped more people in her 17 years than many people do in their entire lives. For that reason we find peace in knowing that she brought more love into this world than was here before.

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