We are mothers and fathers of children and young people with cancer, including those who have lost their children. That is the greatest pain.
We are with you on a journey that can be taken hand in hand. We offer the following support:
– Open monthly grief support group for parents;
Psychological support — grief support sessions for parents and siblings;
Social support — assistance with funerals and other related needs;
Legal clinic — support provided by a lawyer.
The unnatural loss of a child, as a traumatic experience, is considered by psychological science to be the most painful loss a human being can endure. Indeed, the death of a child is accompanied by numerous other losses, such as the loss of future expectations, the loss of irreplaceable moments of emotional closeness, and the loss of one’s own sense of identity.
Text by Sofia Gabriel and Mauro Paulino
Mind | Institute of Clinical and Forensic Psychology
Since the beginning of 2022, parents who lose a child are entitled to a 20-working-day period of parental bereavement leave (previously limited to 5 working days). This updated framework also grants both parents the right to psychological support, starting five days after the death, provided through the National Health Service.
Maria de Jesus Moura
Psychologist, IPO Lisbon
Sofia Gabriel
Psychologist, Mind | Institute of Clinical and Forensic Psychology
Mauro Paulino
Psychologist, Mind | Institute of Clinical and Forensic Psychology
Each person experiences grief in a unique and individual way. Therefore, some of the expressions described in this flyer may be felt by some and not by others, just as certain strategies to help cope with the pain of loss may make sense for some parents but not for others.
When someone decides to support a person who is grieving, it is necessary to have not only physical availability but also emotional availability. In the first moments after the loss, parents are often in shock and may find it very difficult to support other children or handle immediate situations. Family and friends play a fundamental role.
Animated Short Film about Parents Who Lose a Daughter
Testimonials from parents who have lost a child
The importance of grieving and moving forward, by physician and author Ana Claudia Arantes
A Group of People Openly Discussing the Experience of Grief
How to Cope with the Death of a Child
La stanza del figlio (The Son’s Room), Film by Nanni Moretti
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