16 Years of Remembrance: Melissa’s Journey With Grief and Honoring Her Daughter, Patricia

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses infant loss, including miscarriage and stillbirth. Please listen with care.

Melissa’s daughter, Patricia, was born 16 years ago. Tragically, due to a cord accident, Patricia did not survive. Though it’s been 16 years, Melissa continues to not only remember, but celebrate her daughter’s life.

In this episode, Melissa shares her journey of remembrance and grief and we discuss the importance of understanding that these heartbreaking situations are not your fault.

Highlights from our conversation with Melissa:

• Coping with the loss of her daughter, Patricia

• Her children’s connection to their sister

• Helpful coping mechanisms and the importance of routine

• Ways Melissa keeps Patricia’s memory alive

• The different ways people experience grief

• Melissa’s mental and emotional journey during subsequent pregnancies

Whether it’s been six months or 16 years since the loss of a child, grief can resurface on birthdays or even in everyday moments. You may catch yourself wondering “What would they be doing now?” or “What would they look like?” The grief is always there in some way, but hearing others’ stories can bring comfort and we hope Melissa’s story brings you that sense of understanding and connection.

Quotes:

“In the moment of holding her and spending a little bit of time with her, I tried to enjoy it, and it was good–I held it together pretty well after, until that night...” – Melissa (1:48)

“I always had it in the back of my mind that, you know, something would go wrong, that it could happen again. And that was just always something that stayed with me.” – Melissa (9:12)

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Links:

Grief Support Groups: https://nationalshare.org/

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