Teen Grief

Shattered Dreams and Broken Hearts is a spiritual and inspirational guide for family survivors who have lost someone to suicide. Expressing her grief through poetry, is not only therapeutic to the author, but can also be therapeutic to others suffering from similar losses. One can relate to the various stages of grief that one must go through in order to survive a horrible tragedy or senseless loss. One never knows when it is going to affect their family. It happens unexpectedly like an eagle swooping down for its kill.

I was 17 when my mum died from breast cancer. At that time, and for a period afterwards, I wasn't able to express myself verbally, so I turned to writing. It was cathartic, though I never had the courage to share what I wrote, let alone attempt to publish my work. I wouldn't claim to be a poet, or a writer, however, 20 years on, I feel ready to share. My hope is that these poems, written while I was still a teenager, will inspire, as well as be understood, whichever way you interpret them.

"The girls are worried about Lauren. She’s saying things that are scaring them.” These two text messages from my best friends began a chain of events that led to us being blindsided by suicide. Our 14-year-old daughter made her attempt at ending her life in our bedroom and succumbed to her injuries seven hours later. My bright, beautiful, talented, brave, funny, and serious daughter was gone. No one saw it coming.

Highly relatable, comforting, and nurturing, RIP Corey offers listeners a BIG HUG when they need it most. Designed by a nationally-certified speech-language pathologist in collaboration with children's grief experts around the country, this life-changing resource provides young people of all abilities an understanding of grief and a practical guide to navigating the intense emotions that can come with loss.