Family shares story of loss hoping others find support

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Whether the loss of a child or a parent, Full Circle Grief Center has resources to support you through the process.

In the Orfan family, perspective is everything. The Orfans seize the day and embrace the moment. They put the chores aside to dance. They laugh.

They know the value in these moments because they also know the pain and darkness of the days very different from this one. The first, in 2016.

“I had a pregnancy that ended in a stillbirth,” said Emily. “I delivered. Pretty much full-term. A little girl.”

Then a short time later, a second major loss. This time, a son.

“We had another little baby, and he died at about a month old from a genetic disease that we didn’t know he had and potentially linked to the same loss that we had had,” Emily and Chris said.

With the loss of two children in a matter of years, the grief was huge. But the organization the Orfans found - Full Circle Grief - knew just how to stand with them alongside that grief.

“That support group is almost like a lighthouse at a time when we felt like we were drowning, and they really sort of helped us along the way, managing our grief and ... creating this really beautiful community to help us sort of get through this incredibly painful, difficult time,” the Orfans said.

Full Circle has many ways it supports children, parents, and families through grief.

The nonprofit finds to way to help it feel manageable and not try to rush it or excuse it away.

“They provide you these little tools and so best practices for when it’s really hard,” the family said.

When grief hits, very few of us can just stop and do nothing. Life, children, jobs and other responsibilities - it all carries on.

Full Circle hopes to help families navigate it all, while meaningfully remembering their loved ones.

“I found that I would survive it,” said Emily. “It didn’t mean that this was going to take me down, that there are ways to find the hope and find the, you know, the ways to move forward, and that it’s okay to still ache and feel this sort of hole in your heart, but not be leveled by it.”

The Orfans shared their story, hoping it would help others. Full Circle is hosting an event next weekend Sept. 31 called Miles in Memory. This is where you can learn more about all of the various ways to get help from the organization.

You can honor a loved one by running a chosen distance in memory of that person.

Click/tap here for more information.

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