Sibling Grief Club was launched in July of this year by three sisters grieving the death of their youngest sibling.
Triona McNabb sadly passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in hospital on February 27, 2017.
She left behind a legacy of love, but also a family bereaved and desperate for support as they tried to navigate unchartered waters
Triona’s three older sisters, Maeveen, Edel and Cathy quickly discovered that there was little or no support specifically for grieving adult siblings, who are often termed as the ‘forgotten mourners’.
While Maeveen was pregnant with her second child in 2020 – during lockdown when all face-to-face antenatal courses were cancelled – she and her husband Kevin found an online midwife-led course that took them right through the stages of pregnancy until birth.
It was then that Maeveen wondered why there wasn’t a similar facility for people in her situation, and thus the seed for Sibling Grief Club was born.
The website offers two online webinar series – Grief Journey, led by qualified psychotherapist Bronagh Stars and, Grief Retreat, led by Counsellor and Meditation Guide Paul Mallon.
Nothing will make grief just go away, and indeed Maeveen says its necessary to feel the feelings that include, anxiety, fear, sadness, depression, anger, loneliness, pain, despair and confusion, often all at once or in overwhelming waves, in order to move on with life in a permanently changed world.
Sibling Grief Club exists to help people understand and cope with the feelings associated with grief and it’s a place where siblings – or anyone who is grieving a loved one – can share their stories with others having similar experiences.
As well as the webinars, Sibling Grief Club provides self-care tips, advice on keeping a grief journal, recommended reading material, music playlists and links to other useful organisations to consult.
For this week’s podcast, Maeveen talks lovingly about her sister Triona and her kind and caring nature. She recalls the debilitating quagmire of feelings she has gone through since Triona’s death, and Maeveen tells us all about Sibling Grief Club and how she hopes it helps other people like her and her sisters throughout their grief.
For all of this and more, listen below or subscribe and download here: Apple Podcasts – Google Podcasts – Spotify.
Title music: NEW HORIZONS – Lesion X
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