The Abbotsford Hospice Society (AHS) has received a $34,000 grant from Variety – The Children’s Charity to help grieving children work through the death of loved ones.
The grant will fund Stepping Stones, a grief therapy program that has been offered free of charge to grieving children for the last several years.
The program has had a profound impact on parents like Gillian, a local wife and mother of four.
In late 2010, her husband was killed instantly in a car accident, while Gillian and her four children, who were also in the vehicle, survived the crash. Besides dealing with the physical trauma – two of her children were in critical care – the family’s emotional journey was just beginning.
“In the blink of an eye, I went from being a wife homeschooling her kids to being a single mother with no income and four children who were still dealing with serious injuries,” Gillian said.
“I came home after leaving the hospital and felt instantly lonely. The pressure of caring for four children during such a hard time is extreme.” She looked for resources for her children, but found few. An assistant at a medical facility suggested she call AHS.
“I had assumed hospice was just for elderly or dying people, but I was surprised and relieved to find out that they had programs to support all of us. Once I connected with the hospice, things began to really open up for the kids,” Gillian said.
AHS cares for dying people as young as 19, but also has extensive grief support services.
Hospice staff worked with Gillian and each of her four children, and continue to do so.
Gillian said that, after the accident, her youngest son suffered severe panic and was “pretty much paralyzed” by anxiety attacks.
“Abbotsford Hospice connected him with a play therapist, and it made a huge difference. She made such a connection with him and walked him through the grief. It was a life-changing resource for him.”
For more information about the program or other AHS programs, or to donate to the society, call 604-852-2456.