Alison shares her grief story when she lost both of her parents within a short period of one another. Her dad had always been sick and so when his passing came, Alison was prepared for it. She had her mom to help her through that grief. However, when her mom had passed away from cancer, even though she knew it was a ‘5 year diagnosis’, it still came to her as a shock. She was 21 when she found out both her parents had cancer and by the time she was 25, she had lost both of them. She shares her story. 

 

Key Takeaways:

• Alison lost both of her parents within a two year span of one another. 
• As Alison’s dad was dying, she got engaged and wanted to have her dad see her get married. 
• When Alison’s mom passed away, she had to move out of their home while she was trying to graduate.
• It was tough, Alison is a speech pathologist and ended up having to be in the same room her mother died in two weeks later to help a patient. 
• Looking back, Alison doesn’t know how she did it. 
• People would tell Alison, ‘you’re so strong’, well, yeah, what else is she supposed to do? 
• You’re a crazy person in your early 20s normally! And then your life gets turned upside down.  
• Alison experienced envy when her friends had parents who could pay for them to go to college or had family that supported them. 
• Alison felt so alone in her grief. No one knew what she was feeling or going through. 
• Alison kept asking, ‘why?’. This shouldn’t have happened. 
• Alison was so angry and saw a therapist...who ended up making her feel angrier. 
• Even though Alison lost both parents, 8 years later she is still grieving her mom’s passing. 
• People reacted poorly to Alison’s morbid sense of humor, but that was how she was able to handle the passing of her father. 
• Everyday, Alison thinks about them and wonders what they’d think/feel about the situation she’s in. 
• Alison tries to do little things to keep her parent’s memory living on. 
• What are Alison’s coping mechanisms? Writing has been a huge healer. 
• What advice does Alison have for others who have lost their parents? 
• Any feelings you had during that moment are completely okay.