I joined the dead parents’ club on a Tuesday. Like all members, I was inducted against my will, literally kicking and screaming. One minute I was 18 on a nursing prac for uni and then I was sitting in the hospital chapel hearing that my life would never be the same again.
I rarely talk about my parents. Mum and dad died a lifetime ago, (26 years since dad died, 11 since I lost mum), but this loss has changed me. It remains heartbreaking and affects every aspect of my adult life. It’s not just the birthdays, anniversaries, god-awful grandparents’ day at school and the excessive advertising around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day that cuts like a knife.
