All Grief is Not the Same
Readers and Friends,
I have taken some time away from Sorry Works! over the last twelve months. Now, I want to re-start this advocacy effort by focusing on the basics of the movement. Thank you for your support.
- Doug
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All grief is not the same.
Please share this truism with young physicians and nurses, and medical and nursing students. The passing of a senior from long-term co-morbidities is one thing, while the unexpected death of a younger, seemingly healthy person under questionable circumstances is entirely different. Indeed, all grief is not the same.
Losing a beloved older parent or grandparent can be like finishing a great book. Sure, there is sadness and the challenges of dealing with the immediate reality of not speaking with or seeing that person again (until the afterlife, for people of faith). However, emotionally healthy people can usually work through the stages of grief and soon smile at happy memories, talk freely about the deceased without crying or breaking down, and treat the death like placing a concluded book on a shelf. These deaths are often described as "blessings," and family and friends will often remark that their loved one is no longer in pain.
The death of seemingly healthy younger person, however, almost always involves tragedy. A car wreck or some other type of accident. Drowning. Illness out of the blue. Criminal activity. And medical errors. Tragedies typically alter the grief trajectory. Often, family members can struggle to move forward with their lives until they receive answers and accountability. Lack of answers or transparency can stall and even freeze the grief process, leading to mental health issues and other social-emotional problems. Individuals can suffer for years, even decades, and families can be ruined.
My family dodged this bullet after my brother Jim's death due to medical errors. There was an attempted cover-up by the medical professionals, but my parents assembled evidence and facts and presented a credible claim to a talented local attorney who was able to obtain some measure of accountability and justice for family. I used some of those funds to launch Sorry Works, which, over the last 20 years have been very therapeutic, including reconciliation with the hospital where Jim died. Jim's death improved our healthcare system. Unfortunately, not every family is this lucky. Many receive no answers, accountability, or justice, and they are often frozen in their grief, and tragedies compound.
Any physician or nurse would gladly help and provide information to a family after a car accident, drowning or any other type of accident. This willingness to help needs to extend to medical errors. The caring relationship that physicians and nurses proudly build pre-event needs to continue post-event. And medical systems need to provide support to all parties to make transparency the standard. Families need this, and so do physicians and nurses. Sorry Works! is here to help you.
Sincerely,
- Doug
Doug Wojcieszak, Founder
Sorry Works!, 618-559-8168