Five years ago this past Saturday we buried my husband Rob. My daughter, Fiona, then age 13, grieved beside me in the cemetery that day; but her grief was wholly different from my own. On the cusp of adolescence, Fiona understood the reality and finality of death. She saw how this loss would alter her future’s terrain. With one foot still firmly planted in childhood and another stepping gingerly toward adulthood, Fiona stood at a uniquely challenging crossroad as she sought to cope with this death. She was a grieving teen without a guide, without a road map.
Over the last five years, I have parented my children through almost every childhood developmental stage. I’ve seen how children and teens struggle, how loss radically reshapes the life they knew before. And I’ve watched Fiona and others like her who have suffered tremendous loss face their grief with honesty and courage. I’ve watched these teens tenaciously hold onto hope that their loved one’s death is not their own — that there’s so much more life in store for them. I’ve watched adults who believed that truth rally around them, creating the scaffolding that enables them to thrive again.
That’s why I am thrilled to invite you to join us on the team that will launch Hurt Help Hope into the world this October. I have seen the difference that an adult can make in the life of a grieving teen, and I believe you can be part of that amazing work simply by spreading the word about this resource, by telling those you know that no teen needs to grieve alone.
In the U.S., 6 million children will lose a parent or sibling before age 18. Even more will lose a friend or extended family member. Almost 2 million will have no warning; death will enter their life suddenly and unannounced. 65% say they they have no one to talk to. Not anymore, friends. Not anymore.
Hurt Help Hope: A Real Conversation about Teen Grief and Life after Loss is the first step in caring for these students. It’s a groundbreaking resource — the first traditionally published, gospel-infused, practical guide to adolescent grief in 20 years (!!!). Filled with the questions teens ask most, Hurt Help Hope offers guidance on the many dimensions of loss — from insights on diet and sleep patterns to struggles with emotional regulation, friendship complexities, and how to face the funeral. With quizzes, extra resources, and the stories of other teens who have lost a loved one, Hurt Help Hope offers students their first community after loss — the voices of those who understand and who are praying for and pulling for them as they grieve and grow.
It’s the guide and road map I wanted for Fiona when Rob died.
It’s the resource she and I have written so that no teen needs to grieve alone ever again.
Join us as we launch this important book into the world. Sign up to join our team!
All the action and excitement begins September 3.
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