Grief during the pandemic
Wednesday 8 July 2020
Bereavement is never easy, and we know that the current situation with social distancing may be making it even harder for those of you who have lost someone you love to bowel cancer.
Whether your bereavement is recent or happened many decades ago we're here for you during this time, and you can join the bereavement support area within our online community. It's a private group for friends and family who have lost a loved one to bowel cancer to support each other by sharing experiences.
Some of our supporters have also shared their thoughts on grief, bereavement and how to cope:
Sarah Wymer
Sarah's husband Patrick died of bowel cancer in January 2020. Patrick blogged about his experiences and Sarah has been continuing with his blog.
- Read her post about grief during lockdown
Chris Mattingly
Chris' wife Amy passed away in April 2018 after being diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer at the age of just 31. Chris has shared his story on our website including a short book called 'The 5 Pearls: Lessons in letting go and living without fear' about some of the lessons his wife taught him and how he's been applying them since she died.
- Read Chris' story and download his book here
Marina Edwards
Marina's husband Daniel died in June 2018. She created a Star of Hope Fund for Daniel and says it's "a lifeline to my husband".
- Watch our video where Marina and the Rogers family talk about their Star of Hope Funds and how they've helped them with their grief
Other support
If a loved one has died recently then we recommend talking to your funeral director about how the coronavirus situation will affect your arrangements. They will have the correct advice for your area.
Many people are choosing to plan a memorial service for after restrictions are lifted, and you can also set up a Star of Hope Fund where you, family and friends can share memories, photos, videos and music online.
If you're struggling you may also like to get in touch with Cruse Bereavement Care, who offer support over the phone and online and have a set of resources for bereavement during the pandemic here.
We'd also love to hear from you, so if you have any questions about how you can support our work in memory of your loved one please do get in touch on inmemory@bowelcanceruk.org.uk or 020 7940 1769.
