Half of Myself: A Surviving Sibling's Story of Losing Andy

In this episode of The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss, Dr. Dean talks with Dr. Valerie Lentine, a surviving sibling and physical therapist. Valerie's only sibling, her younger brother, Andy, died suddenly in 2022 at 22 years old. Three years in, Valerie opens up about what it has meant to walk through sudden loss, the identity shift she captures in her own words when she describes feeling like "half of myself," and what it takes to keep Andy close. 

In this episode you will:

• Hear Valerie describe who Andy was, the ordinary morning that changed everything, and what a surviving sibling carries out of a hospital. 
• Learn why a surviving sibling who is also an only sibling faces a specific kind of grief, and why sibling grief so often ends up at the bottom of the grief hierarchy. 
• Be inspired by how a surviving sibling carries her brother forward, and hear her name a long-term fear many surviving siblings know but rarely say out loud.

Content Warning: This episode discusses sudden traumatic loss, traumatic brain injury, and the withdrawal of life support.

Connect with Valerie Lentine:

Instagram: @val_lentine (https://www.instagram.com/val_lentine) 

TikTok: @valerielentine22 (https://www.tiktok.com/@valerielentine22)

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If you would like more information or to share your own sibling loss story, please contact Dr. Angela Dean at contact@thebrokenpack.com or go to our website, thebrokenpack.com.

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Thank you!
Angela M. Dean, PsyD, FT, GTMR

Credits:
The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss  is produced by Not Done Here Media

"If Tomorrow Starts Without Me" © ℗ 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
     Performed by Fuji Sounds (feat. Joe Mylward)
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     Licensed for use to The Broken Pack
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