|
 Mary ~ Co-Manager
- Hello I'm Mary aka TylersMom. I have lost 3 of my grandparents,
several aunts & uncles, 2 brothers, my father-in-law,
one cousin and many friends. Then on July 11, 2000 my
whole world fell apart. My 3-year-old son Tyler was run
over by a farm tractor driven by my father while he was
babysitting him. My perfect life as I knew it came to
a screeching halt. So 2 weeks later I started searching
on-line for any help with my grief or at least some answers
as to why after so many losses, the loss of my son was
the most devastating. I just wanted to be with him, but
I knew that I had to be here for my husband & my 3 other
children, 2 of which witnessed the accident. So when I
found these wonderful people here at HALO, I knew after
a while that I would feel life again, that I was going
to make it thru my pain and I have come a long ways. I
never thought I would, but I did. I would never be my
old normal self again, but I would find a "new normal".
And I have. I was once told to take it "One Strand of
Hair at a Time", because even baby steps can be too big
& here at HALO these wonderful friends made me feel like
family & they held my hands while I took my one strand
at a time. HALO family, I Thank you with all my heart
for being here for me. I love each and every one of you
for helping me to realize that I wasn't crazy, I was just
having "normal" feelings after I lost Tyler, and you let
me know that it's "ok" to cry & smile.
I Love you Son......... and your Mama's gonna make it.
|
|
Autumn ~ Co-Manager
- The first loss I had that made quite an impact on me
was my Grandpa Bill. He was my Dad's dad and I was his
right hand girl. I was 5 years old at the time. From that
time on, when ever my Mom needed to go to a funeral, I
would ask her to take me too because I wanted to let the
kids know that I understood how they felt. Growing up
I lost all my great grandparents, most of my Mom's aunts
and uncles. When I was in High School, I lost 2 close
friends. One lost control of her car due to black ice
and the other friend, was riding in the back seat of her
brother's car when a lady ran a stop sign. Seat belt laws
were not enforced then, and she was thrown out of the
car, which rolled over her. I remember trying to stay
strong for my other friends while working thru my own
grief too. A few years passed and then it seemed like
the bottom of my world dropped out. My step-Dad passed
unexpectedly 10-31-99. I hated seeing the pain my Mom
was going thru but I too was hurting so we hung onto each
other tightly. It was almost Christmas time in 2000 when
my Mom calls to tell me that we are about to loose someone
very close to us both. My Grandma Mona was loosing her
8 yr battle with cancer. By this time, I had moved from
MI to OR so I had to make a difficult decision. Did I
want to see my Grandma now or wait until she had passed?
It wasn't an easy decision to make, but I went to have
one last Christmas with her. I'll never regret the decision
I made. We had some quality time together and there is
nothing that can replace that time for me. Grandma passed
1-11-01 and though I wasn't there for her funeral, my
Mom read a piece for me. Another year passes and Mom calls
again for me to get on the next flight to MI. My Grandpa
had been diagnosed with 2 types of cancer and was being
brought home with hospice. As difficult as this trip was,
I was glad to get the chance to say aloha to my first
date, my friend, my Grandpa. He passed 7-14-02. For those
of you that don't know, Char, who is staff of HALO and
a host, is my Mom. When she first came online for her
grief, I remember thinking how my Mom had lost her mind.
Didn't she know that the Web was full of evil people?
After a spell, I decided that perhaps I should check this
all out. I was really concerned about my Mom's welfare.
BOY, was I wrong. I found some great, caring and understanding
people and my fears for my Mom went away. I was thankful
to have my new friends here at HALO. In May 04, I miscarried
my first baby and the wonderful caring people here were
waiting to walk this new path of grief with me. When I
was asked to become a host, I was honored. Now, just like
when I was a small child, I am here to walk beside you
and give you hope for a new tomorrow. I do understand
your pain.
|
|
Ellen ~ Host
- My husband Will and I have two children: a daughter
Teri, and our son Mark whom we lost on 7/29/97 to a car
accident. When I was invited to host, I thought Judy Divers
had me mixed up with someone else and emailed the wrong
person. Surely she couldn't mean me. Well, when the invitation
wasn't retracted, I knew she was serious. I struggled
with my decision for about two weeks and with input from
my husband and daughter, I decided to accept the invitation.
I am so happy I did. I get back so much more than I give.
|
|
Susan ~ Host
- I have lost three babies to miscarriage. The first one
was when I was 17-years-old. When my baby died, I was
devastated. However, that grief was not shared by those
around me (most people were happy about it in fact), which
broke my heart even further. After that I lost another
baby when I was 22-years-old, and the third when I was
31-years-old. Most of those around me didn't consider
miscarriage a "real loss" and to this day for
the most part the only people who understand that pain
are those who have experienced miscarriage themselves
or someone very close to them. I have also lost my 21-year-old
cousin to a self-inflicted gunshot wound - my aunt's only
child.
I also lost my husband, Alan, on May 11, 1999 after
a three year battle with Hodgkin's Disease. The bone marrow
transplant which cured the cancer resulted in graph vs.
host disease which took his life. I became a widow at
age 36 and my four children were 6, 8, 11 and 13. I honestly
thought I was losing my mind and my life was over. I came
online and found people who understood me and my feelings.
I was allowed to feel what I needed to feel and experience
the loss among friends who helped me through. It took
time... far more time than I liked...
I was a part of starting this site as one of the founding
directors, and have returned to lend a helping hand because
I have a passion to give back a little of what was given
to me. Thanks to many of the staff and hosts here I have
rebuilt my life and they have helped "the widow's
heart sing" (Job 29:13).
|
|
Karen (K4Mary) ~ Host
- My beloved one and only child, Mary, went to be with
our Lord on 09-25-1991 at the young age of 8, when we
were in an auto accident. I think of her as an earth angel,
as I wasn't supposed to have children according to the
doctors. I had an angel instead, she was a miracle child.
Touching lives then and still touching lives today. HALO
has become part of my family, people like myself that
really understand grief, share my joy when I'm happy and
cry with me when I am sad. I am honored to be a HALO Host,
hoping to lend a helping hand to all. I've learned to
live life again, ONE DAY AT A TIME. Please visit Mary's
Memorial Site.
|
|
|
|
Any login problems, please contact the
webmaster.
|
|
|
|
