#sharinggrief

Introduction

Thank you for stopping by my blog! My name is Christine, and I am a full-time employee and part-time student at Queen’s University. I have always enjoyed expressing myself through writing, and I believe starting a blog is a great way to supplement my self-expression, while also connecting with others on a particular topic. This assignment comes with perfect timing as I was planning to start a blog to document the never-ending waves of grief I am experiencing. I hope this social media platform will assist me as I work through my grief, and also connects me with others who are experiencing something similar.

My Grief

Death and grief is not something I have always had experience with, or an interest in. How fortunate was I? My innocent bliss quickly changed. Life has a funny way of doing that. In December of 2012, my beautiful warrior Mom was diagnosed with terminal Breast Cancer. My world instantly changed. I went from worrying about trivial matters, to worrying about losing the most important person in my life. Endless questions came fluttering in.

Questions kept coming and I felt like I was drowning. Thankfully, Mom beat the statistical odds of a 2-year survival rate and lived for 6 years. The cancer was always there and slowing working its evil through her body. She fought daily with admirable strength only a warrior could do. My initial shock turned into denial, which then slowly transitioned into anticipatory grief. As treatment options started to dwindle, and quality of life became more important than quantity, I started to feel a level of acceptance. Acceptance that my Mom was going to die and there was nothing I could do to save her. On October 21, 2018 my Mom passed away. Although I was preparing myself for this for years, I cannot quite explain the overwhelming emotions that flood in. It is truly indescribable. Now, I am on a new journey with grief; a subject not many people speak of.

Grief and Social Media

Sharing my grief on social media allows me to share my experience with the world. This is important. Death and grief are treated as taboo topics in our society, when in fact they are two experiences that connect us all. I want people to know it’s okay to talk about death and grief. Social media has been a great tool for me during times of intense sadness and loneliness. Visits from family and friends have started to disappear, but many comforts still come from the online world. Several Facebook posts, instant messages, and online condolences continue to provide me with peace. I believe this blog, along with other social media accounts, will act as a comforting resource for myself and for others. I think that is one of the things I love so much about social media. Connection; isn’t that what social media is all about?