"I lost my mother to pancreatic cancer during the pandemic. I was absolutely devastated and felt like part of me died.
She had done so well to manage cancer and treatment over the previous two years but then the pandemic hit. She was not able to access her cancer treatment as planned, and then fell sick enough to need to go into hospital. That’s when she caught Covid. We were terrified and were not able to visit her. She died days later, without us able to be by her side, I was traumatised and full of guilt.
I struggled to look after others in my family. I felt too frightened to go outside because of Covid. My work colleagues gave me a card with their condolences, which I appreciated, but I was shocked that nobody really ever asked me how I was doing or offered to have a real conversation with me about how I was feeling. It was like it never happened. Now the world is starting to open up again for everybody else but my world has continued to stand still.
I heard about The Loss Foundation from a friend. I was really keen to go to one of their support groups, and found the process of talking such a relief. I was saddened to hear that others were also struggling to cope and getting very little support from friends and family, but I suddenly didn’t feel so alone.
I then attended The Loss Foundation’s therapeutic groups and learned so much about grief and all that it can be coupled with (anxiety, troubled sleep, intrusive memories, anger, and more). I was able to understand my experiences better, learned techniques to use when feeling distressed and was able to be a lot kinder to myself. It was wonderful to feel so supported and in exactly the right place."
- Hilary, 35
The above extract tells you better than I ever could why the Therapy Groups at The Loss Foundation are so important; they ensure people have the right support following the loss of a loved one to Covid-19 or cancer.
At the time of writing, it is estimated that over 2 million people have been bereaved by Covid-19 in the UK and the number is continuing to rise. More than 6,000 people are bereaved by cancer a day in the UK, yet there is a distinct lack of support for these people. Bereavement support broadly in the UK is scarce, very much a postcode lottery and if help is available, it often comes with a huge waiting list. People are almost guaranteed no support if they live in a small town far away from a city. That is why The Loss Foundation exists, to target the gap in support services at a time when people need it the most.
The Therapy Groups are a vital part of our support offering as they teach people methods on how to cope with difficult memories, anxiety, troubled sleep, guilt, low mood, and more. We need your help to keep them going and make sure we are there for everyone who needs our help. Please give generously so that people have a place to turn to where they feel a little less lonely.