When she was five years old, Brenna lost her father to suicide. However, she didn’t learn the truth about his cause of death until she was 17.
His death fractured the family, leaving Brenna estranged from her father’s side for years. As an adult, she reestablished those relationships and found joy in hearing stories about her dad.
Now, Brenna is a new mom and works as the Manager of Suicide Grief Support Services at Samaritans. In this video, she discusses how she coped with losing her father as a child, how she had to re-grieve as a teenager, and how she overcame the stigma and shame associated with suicide by learning more about mental illness and attending support groups like Samaritans SafePlace. She shares how her childhood loss shaped her, and how she is raising her son to know his grandfather’s story.
Are these wounds ever fully healed? No, but we are able to focus on the love and that we are able to be a family again.
Help Survivors Find Hope
Samaritans has supported more than 24,000 loss survivors like Brenna over the last 50 years. And we are still finding new ways to help people.
Please consider setting up a monthly donation to help suicide loss survivors find support and understanding with Samaritans.
