Tag Archives: grieving children

Death of a Child, Sudden Death, The Mary Mac Show

The Mary Mac Show | Death By Fentanyl Podcast Series | Steve Filson’s 29 yo Daughter Jessica

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In Episode 199, I speak with Steve Filson, Secretary of Victims of Illicit Drugs (VOID) about his daughter Jessica’s death at 29 to fentanyl poisoning.

Steve is an Air Force Veteran as well as spending 31 years as a former San Bernardino County Sheriff and in the Police Department in Southern California, including eleven years in the Homicide Squad and five years in Narcotics.

We discuss Jessica’s life and how, after giving birth to her daughter, Elara, was given opioids for the pain associated with an epidural which ultimately caused her continued use of these pills. But it was a laced line of cocaine that poisoned her and Nicholas. Today, Steve and Cherie are raising their granddaughter Elara.

Jessica with daughter Elara and Boyfriend Nicholas

Unfortunately, it was Cherie, her mother, who found Jessica and her boyfriend, Nicholas.

Below is a photo of their family when Jessica was pregnant.

Steve and Cherie Filson with son Trevor and daughter Jessica
Cherie comforting Elara

We also speak about Steve’s advocacy work and the documentary by Dominic Tierno and Christine Wood entitled “Dead On Arrival” exposing the illegal drug trafficking of fentanyl from Mexico featuring four parents who tell their painful stories of how this claimed their children’s lives and the effects on their families.

Please visit the following site to learn more:

“Dead on Arrival” documentary and VOID (Victims of Illicit Drugs) – https://www.stopthevoid.org

Watch the video version of our conversation below:

Please share this episode with others who could benefit from it and like, comment and subscribe for future episode of this series.

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Thank you Steve for joining me and sharing your story. I appreciate it!

xoxo

Your support of my work, through PayPal – https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=DN22KFWSZ8XY8 – is greatly appreciated.

Visit our other sites:

https://www.MaryMac.info – our primary hub. Pick up our free ebook “21 Things You Must Know About The Grieving Process.”

https://www.TheMaryMacShow.com – for all episodes of my podcast. Join my mailing list here.

The Mary Mac Show You Tube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/@themarymacshow – please subscribe to our channel, like our videos and share.

https://www.GriefAuthority.com – pick up our digital book collection to download immediately upon purchase.

https://www.FoundationForGrievingChildren.org/donate/ – your donation to our cause will be a big help for hurting young ones.

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Emotional Challenges, Emotional Freedom Technique | EFT, Grieving Children, The Mary Mac Show

The Mary Mac Show | Helping Children and Teens Cope with Grief

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The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 134, we discuss what children and teens experience when dealing with their grief after a loved one’s death and how to help them navigate through this pain.

Many adults believe that if we just put children and teens back into their regular routine, they will be fine.

But this is not the case.

Children and teens need to be supported emotionally, just as you do. They deal with all the pain and physical symptoms that you do.

They need our love, time and especially our attention and understanding as they move through their own grieving process.

Unfortunately, most adults don’t know what young people are going through after a loved one’s death, unless the adult had had this experience when they were young.

Adults are usually so focused on their own grief and the organization of a funeral as well as considering the finances of the household, that they don’t pay as close attention to the young people who look to them for comfort and guidance.

It is important for adults to spend more time with their children and even young adults because it may be the first time they have experience a death and they need our love and attention.

Young children don’t have the language skills to describe what they are feeling and teens, often, don’t want to express themselves.

Listen in to Episode 134 to learn more about how children and teens deal with such a painful time in their lives.

Much Love,
xoxo

Additional Notes:

Visit Crisis Connections at my website to telephone a trained counselor to speak with whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, confused, frightened, fearful or any host of emotions.

Learn the Emotional Freedom Technique here for Moving Forward in Grief. It will soothe you and calm you physically and emotionally.

You can watch Marissa Peer’s “I Am Enough” meditation.

Visit the author’s website for all books on The 5 Love Languages. Always best to purchase books directly from the author. They worked hard to write and publish these wonderful works!

Treat yourself to a lovely gift from our Heart of Gold “I Remember” Products from The Mary Mac Store.

Remember, a portion of all proceeds help fund The Foundation for Grieving Children, Inc., the first national non-profit public charity which benefits children, teens, young adults after a loved one’s death which I established many years ago.

And remember to pick up my free ebook 21 Things You Must Know About The Grieving Process, and you’ll automatically be signed up for my private email list so we can always stay in touch, since social media is no longer reliable.

Death of a Father, Emotional Freedom Technique | EFT, Holidays, The Mary Mac Show

The Mary Mac Show | Father’s Day | Sweet and Bittersweet

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The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 29, we remember our father and father figures who made an impact on our lives. We also discuss the pain of bereaved fathers, and father’s whose wives are struggling to bear children and fear they will never be called “Dad.”

The pain from a father’s death is often severe especially if we had a wonderful relationship with our Dads.

But, sometimes, our relationship wasn’t as we would expect and we struggle with the ‘what if’s’ and perhaps guilt that may bring.

Yet whatever the relationship, good or bad, that we had with him, we must forgive ourselves and even moreso him for what you needed that you didn’t get, for what you and he said to each other that stung, and all the unfinished business that might still linger that neither of you can do anything about anymore.

We also recognize all the father figures who raised you and cared for you if your Dad died younger than expected.

And we also talk about bereaved fathers who have buried their child, children or even all their children.

Lastly, we look at men who struggle to have children with their wives, those who experience a miscarriage or stillborn child, as well as those who deal with infertility and/or the knowledge that they may never have children of their own. We also remember men who are older now and wished they had children years ago when it was more practical, or those who never found the right women to raise a family.

This can be a very melancholy day for some. Let us acknowledge them all.

Listen in to Episode 29 here or on your favorite podcasting platform.

xoxo

Death of a Mother, Emotional Freedom Technique | EFT, Holidays, The Mary Mac Show

The Mary Mac Show | Mother’s Day Can Sting

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The Mary Mac Show Podcast

In Episode 23, we remember our mothers and mother figures who made an impact on our lives. We also discuss the pain of bereaved mothers, ladies who struggle to bear the title and those who will never be called “Mom.”

The pain from a mother’s death is often severe especially if we had a wonderful relationship with our Moms.

But, sometimes, our relationship wasn’t as we would expect and we struggle with the ‘what if’s’ and perhaps guilt that may bring.

Yet whatever the relationship, good or bad, that we had with her, we must forgive ourselves and even moreso her for what you needed that you didn’t get, for what you and she said to each other that stung, and all the unfinished business that might still linger that neither of you can do anything about anymore.

We also recognize all the mother figures who raised you and cared for you if your Mom died younger than expected.

And we also talk about bereaved mothers who have buried their child, children or even all their children.

Lastly, we look at women who struggle to have children, those who miscarried or had a stillborn child, as well as those who deal with infertility and/or the knowledge that they may never have children of their own. We also remember women who are older now and wished they had children years ago when it was still possible, or those who never found the right husband to raise a family.

This can be a very melancholy day for some. Let us acknowledge them all.

Listen in to Episode 23 here or on your favorite podcasting platform.

xoxo

Grieving Children, Holidays

What About the Other 364 Days?

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www.F4GC.com
www.F4GC.com
Someone has declared today the National Children’s Grief Awareness Day. Lovely.

I guess when I hear these kinds of things I wonder, “Exactly how is that any different than national chocolate cupcake day,” which, by the way, two years ago my colleague and I celebrated by baking for the entire team.

And some would say that I’m not showing the proper reverence for this day, but, I must tell you, quite the contrary.

You see I don’t believe that declaring something as significant as the grief of grieving children to only one day of the year is quite fair. It’s not as frivolous or as carefree a day as enjoying a favorite cupcake, or taco, or dance class. No, it’s far more serious and, well, frankly, it bothers me.

I don’t think of this ‘day’ as something to celebrate. I don’t think of this day as something that happens once a year. And, to a certain extent, I think it’s misleading.

Grief, when we are in the thick of it, lasts every day and all moments of that day and, then, many, many days and months and years onward.

It’s not something we only recognize once a year. Because when you love deeply, you grieve deeply and that pain should never only be acknowledged today. Not for grieving children and not for adults. It should be an awareness every day.

Over 2.5 million Americans alone die each year leaving millions more folks to grieve their deaths. If you consider 100 people for each death who will be affected, that’s 250 million grieving people each year and many of them are children, and teens and young adults.

Do we really know the correct statistic of how many children grieve? Absolutely not and we never will. They can never be recorded properly so if you see stats flying around today, discount them.

How would you count the grieving siblings, classmates, teammates, neighbors? You can’t. So don’t try.

So although well intentioned, giving a ‘day’ to such an incredibly wide-reaching topic, seems quite superficial to me.