MY STORY
On Sunday, April 25, 1977, at the age of 48, my father took his own life suddenly, leaving my mother, age 35, me, age 16, and my brother, age 14, destitute and devastated. I had been the only one at home with him then, and though I pleaded with my dad not to leave us, his mental and physical state of pain overruled all my appeals. From that evening onward, my life, personality, faith in the future, and ability to be hopeful and trusting ceased to exist. After that, all my life decisions came from a place of fear, anxiety, mistrust, and cynicism.
I was unable to form relationships or attachments. I developed ineffective coping skills that only addressed immediate concerns, with no thought to future consequences. I saw no point in planning anything and had no aspirations or motivation to move forward with my life. As if through a fog of numbing surrealism, I managed to work, maintain an emotionally detached social life, and move robotically forward.
Any hope of enjoyment was met with fear of loss; any hope of attachment to another held suspicion of loss; any attempts by others to get close to me were met with indifference. I struggled to hide my shameful secret and guilt for not being able to save my father's life, for not having been important enough for him to have remained alive. Yet life moved forward, and I reluctantly and suspiciously moved along beside it as a voyeur, rather than with it, as a willing participant.
After two, five, seventeen years, I did not possess the knowledge or awareness to realize or even understand the concept of lifelong grief and its permanent scar on my life. I imagined that I had put the matter behind me, and had "handled it all just fine, thank you very much."
In 1993, my mother was diagnosed with tracheal cancer and died within 7½ months of her diagnosis, on March 17, 1994. I was her sole caregiver throughout her illness and subsequent death, putting my life on hold to care for her every need. After that, it was a struggle to get my life back. My social life was nonexistent after almost eight months of living in the hospital with my mom. As if suddenly pulled into a time warp, my father's suicide and the trauma I had silently suffered in its wake again became very present.
Along with my mother's horrible death, hopeless despair enveloped me. Friends and even family members did not feel comfortable with my grief. They did not possess the capability, and in most cases, the inclination, to listen to my story without judgment and platitudes - there was no one with whom I could share my fear, confusion, frustration, and despair.
I was very much alone again. I wondered if anyone else had ever gone through such traumatic experiences and felt like I did. I found it extremely difficult to get back to any semblance of a life, as the landscape had once again forever changed, and so had I.
Sometime later, I met Dawn Cruchet, a Montreal grief specialist, who helped me understand what had happened and showed me how to bring meaning to all that had happened. Dawn thus enabled me to find a way to live successfully with my grief. I decided to help other caregivers and grievers in the way that Dawn had helped me... I had found my calling!
Armed with newfound motivation and focus, I went back to school and obtained two degrees and several certifications. In addition, I spent several years working with patients, their family members, and health care professionals as the Cancer Patient Education Coordinator on the Oncology Day Centre, at the Royal Victoria Hospital, and on the oncology floor of the Montreal General Hospital. I also worked as a volunteer at Mount Sinai Hospital Palliative Care. I ran grief, bereavement, and Coping Skills support groups for Hope & Cope at the Jewish General Hospital and the Wellness Centre. And all this while maintaining a private practice as a psychotherapist at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex!
Through my work - as an academic, professional, and volunteer - it became strikingly clear to me that there is a profound need for grief education and support provided by qualified loss and grief specialists. This need urgently needs to be met.
I was unable to form relationships or attachments. I developed ineffective coping skills that only addressed immediate concerns, with no thought to future consequences. I saw no point in planning anything and had no aspirations or motivation to move forward with my life. As if through a fog of numbing surrealism, I managed to work, maintain an emotionally detached social life, and move robotically forward.
Any hope of enjoyment was met with fear of loss; any hope of attachment to another held suspicion of loss; any attempts by others to get close to me were met with indifference. I struggled to hide my shameful secret and guilt for not being able to save my father's life, for not having been important enough for him to have remained alive. Yet life moved forward, and I reluctantly and suspiciously moved along beside it as a voyeur, rather than with it, as a willing participant.
After two, five, seventeen years, I did not possess the knowledge or awareness to realize or even understand the concept of lifelong grief and its permanent scar on my life. I imagined that I had put the matter behind me, and had "handled it all just fine, thank you very much."
In 1993, my mother was diagnosed with tracheal cancer and died within 7½ months of her diagnosis, on March 17, 1994. I was her sole caregiver throughout her illness and subsequent death, putting my life on hold to care for her every need. After that, it was a struggle to get my life back. My social life was nonexistent after almost eight months of living in the hospital with my mom. As if suddenly pulled into a time warp, my father's suicide and the trauma I had silently suffered in its wake again became very present.
Along with my mother's horrible death, hopeless despair enveloped me. Friends and even family members did not feel comfortable with my grief. They did not possess the capability, and in most cases, the inclination, to listen to my story without judgment and platitudes - there was no one with whom I could share my fear, confusion, frustration, and despair.
I was very much alone again. I wondered if anyone else had ever gone through such traumatic experiences and felt like I did. I found it extremely difficult to get back to any semblance of a life, as the landscape had once again forever changed, and so had I.
Sometime later, I met Dawn Cruchet, a Montreal grief specialist, who helped me understand what had happened and showed me how to bring meaning to all that had happened. Dawn thus enabled me to find a way to live successfully with my grief. I decided to help other caregivers and grievers in the way that Dawn had helped me... I had found my calling!
Armed with newfound motivation and focus, I went back to school and obtained two degrees and several certifications. In addition, I spent several years working with patients, their family members, and health care professionals as the Cancer Patient Education Coordinator on the Oncology Day Centre, at the Royal Victoria Hospital, and on the oncology floor of the Montreal General Hospital. I also worked as a volunteer at Mount Sinai Hospital Palliative Care. I ran grief, bereavement, and Coping Skills support groups for Hope & Cope at the Jewish General Hospital and the Wellness Centre. And all this while maintaining a private practice as a psychotherapist at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex!
Through my work - as an academic, professional, and volunteer - it became strikingly clear to me that there is a profound need for grief education and support provided by qualified loss and grief specialists. This need urgently needs to be met.
Christina dies
As I watched my best friend of almost 45 years dying, her father turned to me and said, "I guess this isn't such a big deal to you; as a grief counsellor, and having worked in oncology for a few years, you must be used to it." His comment so shocked me that I could only muster enough breath to answer NO!
I am a lifelong griever and began my grief journey at 16. My grief journey recommenced at 23, and then again at 34, 48, 55, and most recently, on January 18, 2019, at 58. Each time a loved one dies, we begin our journey anew. There is simply no…getting used to 'IT.'
I have been initiated into a club, not of my choosing and whose membership never expires. And again, there is no…getting used to 'IT.' There is only coming to terms with the reality and then trying once again to manage without the person we love and so desperately need.
How the hell do we get used to the absence of the person who shared and held all our memories? Who loved and accepted us even when we did not love and accept ourselves? How do we get used to the absence of the one who guarded our secrets and brought laughter and adventure into our lives? How do we EVER get used to never again telling them just how important they are to us and how much we love and need them?
There is no…getting used to 'IT.'
As I watched my best friend of almost 45 years dying, her father turned to me and said, "I guess this isn't such a big deal to you; as a grief counsellor, and having worked in oncology for a few years, you must be used to it." His comment so shocked me that I could only muster enough breath to answer NO!
I am a lifelong griever and began my grief journey at 16. My grief journey recommenced at 23, and then again at 34, 48, 55, and most recently, on January 18, 2019, at 58. Each time a loved one dies, we begin our journey anew. There is simply no…getting used to 'IT.'
I have been initiated into a club, not of my choosing and whose membership never expires. And again, there is no…getting used to 'IT.' There is only coming to terms with the reality and then trying once again to manage without the person we love and so desperately need.
How the hell do we get used to the absence of the person who shared and held all our memories? Who loved and accepted us even when we did not love and accept ourselves? How do we get used to the absence of the one who guarded our secrets and brought laughter and adventure into our lives? How do we EVER get used to never again telling them just how important they are to us and how much we love and need them?
There is no…getting used to 'IT.'
Please feel free to contact me at any time:
514-222-9668 | natalie@nataliesegall.com
514-222-9668 | natalie@nataliesegall.com