The pain around the death of one’s child is unimaginable.

Parents who have had to grieve the death of a child will tell you that the most helpful thing they have done has been to surround themselves with other parents who are also grieving and have some understanding of their experience.

In the fall of 2014, at our 6-week grief support group, there were several parents who attended whose children had died. As that group came to an end, they asked if they could continue meeting, and since that time Hospice of Northeast Missouri has held a weekly grief support group for parents. Some have attended for a brief time, and there are some parents who attended in 2014 who continue to attend today. Their presence is valuable as new parents join and begin the journey of grieving the loss of a child.

Whatever the circumstances of the death of your child, and whatever the age at death, we welcome you to come and sit with other parents who are also grieving but can support you in your grief.

Comments from previous support group participants:

"This group allows us to cry, reflect and question without judgment. It is my safe place. We may learn to deal with the grief but the pain and love of that loss never goes away."

"This group gives us a chance to cry and talk about our loved one and to have others listen to us is healing and a huge part of the processing the grief."

"These people became family in a short time and helped us realize that what we experience would be our new normal, and the loss would stay with us until we were together with them again. In less than 25 months, we lost another adult child, but this time, we knew our group was the lifeline we could count on to see us through to some better days, and they still are by our side any time we need to reach out."

"Group is a safe haven, a place to get out of the storm. A place of comfort where you are encircled with the love and understanding of others who are going through the same devastating heartbreak of losing a child."

Coordinator for Spiritual Care and Bereavement, Carrol Davenport, facilitates this ongoing weekly group that meets on Tuesdays from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. Please contact her for more information. She can be reached at 660-627-9711 or cdavenport@hospiceofnortheastmissouri.org.