BELLA
“My brother Paul always made me feel like I was on the top of the world,” said Bella. “He saw my potential. He wanted me to be the best person, the best Bella, I could be.” After Paul died at the age of 15 from a seizure, Bella showed no emotion. She didn’t cry. She was numb. Bella’s mother, Clover, reached out to The Elizabeth Hospice for help. She enrolled Bella in our summer grief camp which combines grief-related activities with traditional camp fun. At camp, children and teens honor and memorialize the death of their significant person while making friends with others who are facing similar circumstances. Camp Spero is open to all grieving children (ages 7 to 17) in the community and is offered free of charge. “My favorite part about camp was the ceremony at the lake,” said Bella. “There was music playing and we were all crying. But it was a good cry. I was in this community of people who were vulnerable but strong because we were together. That felt like magic.”
After camp, Bella joined the Teen Grief Support Group offered by The Elizabeth Hospice. “We talk about our life. We talk about all aspects of grief. We go off each other’s thoughts and give each other advice.” “There are some parts about grief that are bad and some that are even worse. We get into those deeper parts. It’s great to be in a space with people who are going through the same thing that you are.” Before attending camp and group, Bella couldn’t talk about the day she found out that Paul had passed. “I pretended it never happened,” said Bella. “Now I can share the story. I look back at it as a memory, not a nightmare.” “I feel grief changed me in a way that nothing could ever have changed me,” Bella continued. “Yes, grief is terrible, traumatizing and heartbreaking. But it made me stronger. I think Paul would be very proud of me.”
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