Recently my beloved husband passed away after a sudden and brief battle with cancer.
While experiencing indescribable grief during this time of loss I went in search of a local grief support group to connect with others who were also experiencing the emotions of loss, and who understood and know what I am going through.
I’m very aware of how connecting with others with shared experiences is helpful to the healing process, how in a group there is shared commonality. Perhaps a group connection could help me shift the narrative from helplessness to coping.
To my great disappointment I found nothing, in the places I looked anyway. For something that is an inevitable part of life and the trauma that those left behind may endure, I can’t understand that there is no local grief support group.
There are wonderful support groups for those living with such things as breast cancer, dementia, prostate cancer, and anxiety to name a few. NSW Health provided a list of counselling services for one-on-one phone consultations, and while I appreciate that might be helpful for some, I am looking for face-to-face connection.
The world I woke up to after the death of my husband has changed, it’s a massive adjustment. The fact that there doesn’t seem to be a support group to help with the process of working through this human experience with others eludes me.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
