Grief is more about just physical loss but also the thought of loss itself. When someone is diagnosed with an illness or disease that is terminal, one has yet to lose but acknowledges that loss will come. This type of anticipatory grief is very common with family who live with terminal diagnosis of a loved one. Parents can also live with this type of loss when a child is diagnosed with a disease, terminal or not. They have to live with the new reality imposed by the disease or the potential future of loss. This can create an uneasy existence of hope and loss existing side by side.
The article, “The ‘Living Grief’ I Carry After My Child’s Diagnosis” by Kat Barlow looks at this type of living grief. She states regarding a family and their child Noah and his terminal diagnosis,
“Noah has a living life list, not a bucket list. The difference being, we are not waiting for the end. We are instead celebrating and living life now. We seize every opportunity to make memories. We make time; we don’t sweat the small stuff. We cancel appointments to sit in the sunshine instead. We make up stories.”
To read the entire article, please click here
Living and dealing with grief with hope and love is a difficult thing to do but sometimes it is the best thing to do even if darker days lay ahead. One cannot deny the future, but one can definitely love the present. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program