Highmark Caring Place offering support to grieving children

“My oldest daughter Rehanna had cancer. She was diagnosed at the age of 8 and passed away at the age of 11,” said Marcia Shepard.

Shepard describes her daughter as an old soul with a heart full of love.

The impact of Rehanna’s death was hard not just on her mother, but her two sisters.

“Grief could come in multiple ways,” said Makenna Lydon, who lost her sister.

That grief led the family to Highmark’s Caring Place.

“You could see other people who are going through the same thing you are going through. They break you up into groups based on your age, but they also break you up into groups on if you lost a child or lost a spouse, so it was nice to be with other people who were going through the same thing I was going through,” said Shepard.

The 10-week program is free to those in need. Over the last few years, they’ve seen more people seeking support as their situations become more complex.

“You add on the unfortunate situations around overdose deaths and the opioid epidemic, the violence we are seeing in our community. It really makes the grief journey that much more complicated when you have the very difficult factors to add in,” said Terese LaVallee, executive director of the Caring Place.

The Thursday before Thanksgiving, they recognize Children’s Grief Awareness Day. It’s a day to educate the community, and to equip peers to support and honor those who have died.

“There are so many kids out there that need that support from other people, that it’s important have it acknowledged so they can be successful in their grief process,” said LaVallee.

The Caring Place also goes into the community and into schools. While they don’t have crisis counseling, they are able to offer services to students who have lost a friend or peer.

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