New Bereavement Group Remembers Children Who have Died.

 Bereaved families that have experienced the death of a child now have an opportunity to meet with others on a regular basis who have endured similar tragedies.  The Compassionate Friends of the Outer Banks Chapter of The Compassionate Friends (TCF), a national self-help organization for families that have had a child die, will be holding monthly meetings at the professional building of the Outer Banks Hospital at 7:00 pm.

This group will give families a place to talk about their loss publicly without feeling out-of-place," said new chapter leader Linda Saturno. "After your child dies, no one wants to talk with you about your child probably because they are afraid of making you feel bad. The irony is that talking about your child helps you--- no one wants their child forgotten. And studies have proven that tears are an emotional release that  help you to feel better." Other chapter organizers  include:  Ellie Ward, Becky Gore, Luther Daniels and Craig Parker.
               

The Compassionate Friends is a national non-profit organization with nearly 600 chapters in the United States and locations in every state. Chapters welcome immediate family members to attend including siblings age 13 and up. Meetings are for all families regardless of race, religious orientation, economic background, or the cause and age of the child at death, from pre-birth up.
               

 "The death of a child turns the whole family upside down," added Saturno. "Through our shared experience, we will be able to talk about the loss and learn coping techniques that will help us in our journey toward healing."
               

Meetings will last approximately an hour and a half. A program with a special topic or guest speaker will be planned for the first thirty minutes of each meeting. In the last hour those attending will be able to discuss what happened to their child or anything related to their grief. Attendees are welcome to attend one or both parts of the meeting. 

 

The chapter is seeking grief books to create a lending library, and will have a selection of handout brochures on many  topics related to the death of a child. There are no fees or dues charged to attend, although love gifts are accepted in memory of the children of the chapter and will be used to publish a chapter newsletter, further outreach in the community, and cover other expenses
                

For more information about local chapter meetings, or to make a donation, call Linda Saturno at 252-202-3510. For more information about the national organization, call toll free 877-969-0010 or visit www.compassionatefriends.org  on the Web.