National Bereaved Parents Day 2023

Alison and Dominic

This is one of the last family photos we had taken. Dominic (far right next to my husband) died on 25.10.20 aged 23). He died in his sleep from SUDEP which is sudden unexpected death from epilepsy.

Life as we knew it completely stopped and I truly wished that we had all died together because the pain was so unbearable. It still is in many ways but the shock has faded a little now and with lots of support from family, good friends, a Therapist and TCF we are building a different life. It will never be as good as the old one and to me will always be like sitting on a chair with only 3 legs - sometimes I can balance and many other times I fall off and have to get back up again and find that point of balance again.

In the beginning I contacted The Compassionate Friends and was very quickly put in touch with a lovely lady called Jan who visited me at home and just listened to me and also told me about her experience of losing a son. There were still COVID restrictions in place so we had to sit outside under a gazebo with lots of blankets, she even brought her own packed lunch because I wasn’t functioning enough to make her anything, but she didn’t seem to mind any of that and genuinely wanted to help me and I am so grateful for that. I went to a few meetings but in the beginning I found it difficult to listen to other parents because I didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with their pain as well as my own, but recently went to a local meeting and found comfort being with other people who just ‘get it’. I will continue to attend some meetings and maybe in the future I can be of help to another parent. I am a regular contributor to the charity and will always continue to be.

In the beginning I contacted The Compassionate Friends and was very quickly put in touch with a lovely lady called Jan who visited me at home and just listened to me and also told me about her experience of losing a son. There were still COVID restrictions in place so we had to sit outside under a gazebo with lots of blankets, she even brought her own packed lunch because I wasn’t functioning enough to make her anything, but she didn’t seem to mind any of that and genuinely wanted to help me and I am so grateful for that. I went to a few meetings but in the beginning I found it difficult to listen to other parents because I didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with their pain as well as my own, but recently went to a local meeting and found comfort being with other people who just ‘get it’. I will continue to attend some meetings and maybe in the future I can be of help to another parent. I am a regular contributor to the charity and will always continue to be.