Grief in Progress Fire Hero Family Programs

In the final episode of Season 2, Dawn and Mike Carroll share the unexpected path they took to find each other. In New Jersey, Dawn was a medic and flight nurse who thought she might never recover after the death of her firefighter fiance, Jon. In Maine, Mike was a paramedic and widower who poured his energy into helping his two grown sons cope with the loss of their mother, Cindy. One weekend, Dawn and Mike were both scheduled to attend a National Fallen Firefighters Foundation event. They describe their meeting and how their past partnerships helped them find love again after loss.
The post Love After Loss: An Unexpected Journey first appeared on Grief in Progress.

Claire Veseth loves to tell stories of her daughter Anne, a boundless spirit who loved trying new things and accompanying her mom on trips. Anne's passion for the outdoors led her to follow her older brother into the wildland fire service. And when she died in a line-of-duty accident in 2012, she left behind a deep hole in the lives and hearts of her family and friends. Claire talks about the unexpected connections she made after her daughter's death and the ways in which those relationships keep Anne close.
The post A Mother’s Love: Finding Support After Tragedy first appeared on Grief in Progress.

Jessica Seaburg was 13 years old when her firefighter father, Kevin Seaburg, died in the line of duty. She says she took on more adult responsibilities, often ignoring her grief to care for her mom and younger sister. Through the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Jessica connected with others who had faced the death of a Fire Hero parent, including her best friend, Marisa. She calls this finding sisterhood through the brotherhood of the fire service. These peer connections helped Jessica travel outside her comfort zone to help others in her hometown of Selkirk, New York, and Charleston, South Carolina.
The post A Legacy of Service in Her Father’s Honor first appeared on Grief in Progress.

Laurel Van Auken describes what it was like to grow up in a big, rambunctious, loving family where her mom Gail was often the practical joker and fun ringleader at get-togethers. Gail Van Auken died in an accident while responding to a fire call in 2000, and her husband suffered a head injury. Laurel's aunt, Carole Chisholm, says she and her family knew all too well what it was like to lose a mother. She and other extended family members stepped in to provide needed connections to Gail's husband and kids, with support along the way from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
The post A Family’s Mutual Aid Response to Tragedy first appeared on Grief in Progress.

Mary Hollis understands the importance of connections. Her family, neighbors, and friends provided much-needed support after her firefighter husband, Al, died in 1991. Mary vividly recalls how Al's fellow firefighters honored him at the funeral service. She says receiving the first remembrance card from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation reassured her that the fire service would never forget her and her children. When Mary met other widows in the Atlanta area and realized they did not have the same connections, she started her own community, the Next Chapter Widow’s Ministry.
The post Tears on the Expressway: One Widow’s Story first appeared on Grief in Progress.

Welcome to Season 2 of the Grief in Progress podcast! In the season's first episode, we introduce the theme of connections and their relationship to grief and loss. We also meet Katrina and Dwayne Murphy, childhood sweethearts who have been married for more than 34 years. Katrina is an educator, and Dwayne is a volunteer and career firefighter who followed his father into the fire service. Katrina and Dwayne share the keys to their enduring connection and the commitment they made to each other at the most difficult moment of their lives–the death of their son, Kendall.
The post Strength in Standing Together: A Mother and Father’s Story first appeared on Grief in Progress.