Abandoned and alone, I had to wait for my family to call me back. When you're grieving, you really need a support system, someone that's going to be there for you and help you through the trauma. My family was not that for me.

In this week's episode, I am sharing about how I was coping with not only grief but also abandonment, what happened before my brother's celebration of life, and disappointing moments with my mother.

In this episode I'm covering:

• Abandoned and alone [00:01:00]
• Memories of my brother [00:09:30]
• The parents come back [00:19:15]
• My friend Caleb [00:22:45]
• Running errands with my mother [00:26:30]
• Arriving at the hotel [00:37:25]
• Picking the urn for the ashes [00:47:30]

For full episode show notes and transcript, click here

Death can be something that can unite or separate families. It's not natural for parents to lose their children, but what happens to the other siblings that are still on this Earth?

Surviving the death of a sibling is not easy, every step of the journey is painful. On top of that pain, the siblings have to deal with so many other situations. Reality begins to hit and everything starts to feel real. You feel lonely, even if you're surrounded by a sea of people.

In this week's episode, I am sharing about when reality hit me, being abandoned by my family, and my mother's relationship with her boyfriend.

In this episode I'm covering:

• Returning from the hospital [00:01:04]
• Efforts of trying to lift everyone's spirit [00:04:15]
• My mother and her boyfriend [00:06:30]
• Walking to my father's hotel [00:09:45]
• Sleeping for the first time in days [00:15:00]
• The story of how I got my dog, Scarlett [00:15:15]
• Waking up to a party in my living room [00:19:15]
• The chaotic Thanksgiving dinner [00:29:15]
• Feeling abandoned by my family [00:32:00]

For full episode show notes and transcript, click here

Connect with Maya

Instagram | @survivingsiblingspodcast | @mayaroffler

TikTok | @survivingsiblingspodcast

Twitter | @survivingsibpod

Website | The Surviving Siblings

Everything is so clear but yet blurry at the same time. When it's time to say our last goodbyes, we often find ourselves in disbelief. Disbelief that this is actually happening, disbelief that this is the last time that we will ever see our sibling again.

This week I'm sharing how things were after my father arrived from Africa, more pieces of information we got from the detectives as well as my last goodbye to my brother.

In this episode I'm covering:

• Supporting me and remembering my brother [00:02:20]
• Getting my brother ready [00:08:00]
• The first time reality hit me [00:15:00]
• Meeting with another detective and getting more details on what really happened [00:19:07]
• Saying our last goodbye [00:27:49]

For full episode show notes and transcript, click here

Connect with Maya

Instagram | @survivingsiblingspodcast | @mayaroffler

TikTok | @survivingsiblingspodcast

Twitter | @survivingsibpod

Website | The Surviving Siblings

The journey of a surviving sibling is full of ups and downs. Usually, people come to us to ask about how parents are, people forget that we have also suffered a loss, we are usually the forgotten mourners.

This week I'm sharing the first pieces of information that the detectives were able to gather and share with us, as well as how it was seeing my sisters, my mother, and my father while they arrived at the hospital.

In this episode I'm covering:

• Meeting the first detective [00:01:04]
• Organizing everything for the family arrivals [00:07:30]
• My sisters arrive [00:08:30]
• Another detective delivers more information [00:10:30]
• My mother arrives [00:16:00]
• Confronting my sister [00:18:07]

For full episode show notes and transcript, click here

Connect with Maya

Instagram | @survivingsiblingspodcast | @mayaroffler

TikTok | @survivingsiblingspodcast

Twitter | @survivingsibpod

Website | The Surviving Siblings

As a surviving sibling, there are defining moments in your journey. The first defining moment is the call, that call that changes your life forever, the call when we discovered what has happened, the call to provide information that you'd never want to receive.

This week I'm sharing the first part of my journey, how that call changed my life and the first series of events that happened after that first call. In this episode, I'm covering:

• The first event [00:01:42]
• Getting to the hospital [00:09:00]
• Seeing my brother for the first time after the call [00:27:00]
• Meeting my brother's girlfriend [00:35:00]
• Maya provides updates to the family [00:45:00]
• First encounter with a detective[00:57:00]

For full episode show notes and transcript, click here

Connect with Maya

Instagram | @survivingsiblingspodcast | @mayaroffler

TikTok | @survivingsiblingspodcast

Twitter | @survivingsibpod

Website | The Surviving Siblings

This is for all my forgotten mourners, for all my Surviving Siblings. In this podcast, I am going to tell you my story, the story of my brother, what happened and I will tell you how I went on my mourning and healing journey.