Elizabeth and Christian’s son Mack died suddenly of sepsis on New Year’s Eve 2012. He was two weeks shy of his 9th birthday. We have just passed the 11th anniversary of Mack’s death and what would have been his 20th birthday on January 16. We are still learning how to live without Mack, who is ever absent and ever present to us and his big sister, Izzy, 26.

There are a few key areas that help us:

• Establishing a legacy
• Being intentional about including Mack in holidays and family events
• Allowing space for one another to grieve differently

In this workshop, we hope to share our story and how we continue to grieve as individuals, a couple, and a family. We also hope to create a welcoming environment for questions and conversations. We are often asked about the importance of legacy and the many ways we continue to be the parents of both Mack and his big sister, Izzy. We would like to take questions ahead of time from interested participants to get a better idea of what we should discuss. Please email questions to info@copefoundation.org prior to the workshop.

When: Wednesday, February 21 7 – 8 PM ET

Where: Online

Cost: FREE! Or with an optional donation to support COPE families. Reserve your spot on our Eventbrite Page

About the Facilitators:

Christian M. M. Brady, D.Phil. (Oxon)

Dr. Christian Brady is Professor of Ancient Hebrew and Jewish Literature and the Inaugural Dean of the Lewis Honors College at the University of Kentucky. His most recent book, Beautiful and Terrible Things: A Christian Struggle, with Suffering, Grief, and Hope, (Westminster John Knox Press, 2020). Christian is the husband of Elizabeth and his latest book grew primarily from the death of their son, Mack, in 2012 to a sepsis infection. Building upon his earlier academic knowledge of Jewish and Christian responses to catastrophe, Brady guides readers grieving losses and setbacks of all kinds in voicing their lament to God, reflecting on the nature of human existence, and persevering in hope. A priest in the Episcopal Church, Brady is also Canon Theologian in the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington (KY).

Elizabeth Brady

Elizabeth teaches at Penn State and her essays on learning to live with loss can also be read on The Compassionate Friends, Open to Hope, Motherwell, and Modern Loss. Elizabeth’s book “Oil for Your Lantern: Sharing Light Along a Dark Path After the Death of Child” is under contract with Sunbury Press. She has participated on the panel “A Flower Picked Too Soon” at several national Compassionate Friends conferences. Elizabeth served on the content advisory board for the Public Television documentary “Speaking Grief” that seeks to help us all get better at grief. (speakinggrief.org)

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The information shared in this program is not intended to act as a substitute for any legal and mental health advice concerning individual situations; neither COPE, its Board of Directors, staff and personnel shall be responsible for any outcomes arising form any information or exercises provided in this program.