Journey with me as I share my personal story since losing my beautiful son, Matthew, to depression and alcoholism-related suicide at age 25. As painful as these last several years have been, I hope to inspire others by my strident commitment to rebuilding my life, brick by brick, while also working hard to increase awareness about mental health, addiction, and managing grief.

 

I have written two books. My new release, Hope Springs from a Mother's Broken Heart: 11 Mothers Share How They Survived the Loss of a Child delves deeply into the grief journey. I have learned a lot, so I decided to help newly grieving mothers by creating a guidebook. Ten other grieving mothers joined me in sharing their own courageous stories, offering the reader an important resource for tips and wisdom. Mostly, the reader will be inspired by the strength of these ladies, and the amazing ways they have chosen to honor their child's memory.

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My memoir, My 13th Station: A Mother Shares Her Son's Tragic Battle with Depression, Alcoholism, and Demons, is a transparent accounting of my son's harrowing journey during the last six years of his short life. In this book, I provide firsthand information that can truly help other parents of struggling teens or young adults.

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My hope is, through writing and blogging about the hard topics - grief, mental health, suicide prevention, and substance use disorders - that I can offer help and hope to other parents ... especially mothers. Please sign up to follow my blog so you won't miss any!