Words from COPE President and Founder, Lillian Julien Dear COPE Families, I live with a hole in my heart. Often around the holidays, I fall in. I once had a dream that I fell into a manhole. Strangely, I landed on my feet. I...
In Memory of Ava Hecht By Karen Gang On January 8, 2009, I began a heartbreaking lifelong journey that those reading this column are probably all too familiar with. On that day, my younger daughter, Ava, passed. Ava was a senior at Stuyvesant HS, a...
Healing Tip of the Month From Amy Olshever, PhD, LCSW When we experience a tragic and devastating loss it can be “traumatizing”. When we think about “trauma” we generally think of it as a historical event that happened some time ago. Trauma is actually residue from...
Parent Poem In Memory of Heath Bogin They Tell Me By Esther Bogin, Heath’s Mom Songs-Pictures-Thoughts-Memorabilia-Reminders-Reminders. They tell me “time heals everything.” Movies – the tears – TV shows...
In Memory of Jaclyn Scarabino Maybe other parents who have lost a precious child go through this too? There is a certain point before her birthdate or anniversary of the day we lost our precious daughter when I begin to retrace every moment, every memory. As I recall...
COPE Healing Tip of the Month From COPE Clinical Director Amy Olshever, PhD, LCSW How Do We Understand Grief? What stage am I in? How long will this last? Why can’t I move to a better stage? When will I feel better? These are some of the many questions I have...
Words from COPE President and Founder, Lillian Julien Dear COPE Families, As I struggle to find my voice (due to a vocal chord problem), I am reminded of my loss for words after each of my devastating losses. I had no voice to express my love, my anger, my pain....
“My sister will die over and over again for the rest of my life. Grief is forever. It doesn’t go away; it becomes a part of you, step for step, breath for breath. I will never stop grieving Bailey because I will never stop loving her. That’s just how...
The trees are coming into leaf Like something almost being said; The recent buds relax and spread, Their greenness is a kind of grief. Is it that they are born again And we grow old? No, they die too, Their yearly trick of looking new Is written down in rings...
As a mother, I write about Father’s Day, remembering my children’s father. I am a mother because of him. If not for him, I would not have my precious children. Robert Julien was a great father. He shopped. He carpooled. He cooked. He barbecued. He played...
