Gene is the mother of five children and grandmother to five children. Gene recently lost her 24-year old daughter to heroin two years ago and her older son, who is 33 years old, has terminal cancer. Gene has lost a child and is about to lose a second child and she shares how God has helped her through the passing of her daughter. She also shares coping strategies the various people in her family used and how they were different from her own. The best advice and comfort she received from others were typically from people who have lost themselves and understood deeply the pain that she was and is currently going through.

Key Takeaways:

• Gene lost her 24-year-old daughter to heroin.
• How has prayer helped Gene cope with her loss?
• The recovery rate of heroin addicts is between 2-4%.
• Gene's older son, who is 33 years old, was diagnosed with a rare genetic cancer. It is terminal.
• People are desperate to help your family, but they go about it the wrong way.
• "You're so strong." Takes away the griever's permission.
• Gene and everyone in her family grieve very differently. It was even hard for Gene to not give advice to her family. She learned sometimes you need to keep your mouth shut and recognize that this is just a terrible situation.
• Gene and her husband also had to learn how to overcome this together. They both grieve differently and it was a give and take.
• How would Gene like people to help her through her grief?
• Your friends go back to their regular lives at the 2-3 week mark, but you're not done grieving after 3 weeks.
• We suck at helping people in pain!
• Gene believes Jesus died on the cross and arose from the dead so that he could open the gates of heaven for us.
• We are in the beginnings of a pandemic and people are going to suffer in a lot of ways.
• Those that have passed on are waiting for us in a better place. That's how Gene gets out of bed.
• What would Gene like the world to know about Kate?

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