I was afraid that the whole family would kind of fall apart.

At times we thought we were going mad, you know, that this was just crazy … We didn’t know whether we were coming or going.

The children are affected and you have to get your head around their understanding, and the way they think about death is totally different to you as well. It’s a challenging journey. It certainly made us stronger and it did ultimately bind us stronger together, but in the beginning it rips you apart.

PEOPLE WHO HAVE lost a child have shared their own experiences in a series of powerful videos produced by an Irish charity.

Anam Cara, an organisation that provides support services to bereaved parents and families, hopes the videos will help those dealing with grief.

Across five videos, parents and experts in the field of bereavement discuss personal experiences and offer advice on surviving the intense grief created by the death of a child.

Sharon Vard, CEO of Anam Cara, said she hopes the videos will be “a powerful resource to any family experiencing the sudden death of a child”.

Vard described losing a child as an “unimaginable ordeal” but said that, with support, parents can “learn to cope with the overwhelming sense of loss”.

Newly-bereaved parents and families need the support of those who have suffered a similar experience and learned to cope again, they need reassurance that there is light at the end of the tunnel – that they too will be able to emerge from the depths of despair and start living and enjoying life again.

More information on the services provided by Anam Cara, such as support groups, is available on their website.

Read: ‘When you lose a child, you change. But your relationship with them doesn’t die.’

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