Transformation After Losing a Sister to Cancer: Jenn / Melissa

The Broken Pack™: Stories of Adult Sibling Loss

Navigating the Devastating Sibling Loss of a Sister to Cancer: A Journey of Transformation in Grief

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Grief Educator and bereaved surviving sibling, Jenn, shares her story of her love and grief for her sister Melissa, her best friend, from an extremely rare form of cancer.

• Jenn’s grief was profound and all-consuming. She withdrew from her loved ones and lost all hope for the future.
• She shares how she has begun to find ways to live with her grief including how her work has changed.
• Jenn describes that after Melissa died, her ability to experience joy was muted.

Additional key points:

• Jenn highlights that finding support for adult sibling loss is challenging due to the lack of resources and understanding of the unique grief associated with losing a sibling.
• Together, Dr. Dean and Jenn explore and emphasize that grief including disenfranchised grief like sibling loss, is not something that is broken or needs to be fixed.

Jenn's work can be found at:
website & newsletter: https://www.jennoglesbee.com
Instagram: jennoglesbee

Support the Show.

If you would like more information or to share your own adult sibling loss story, please contact me, Dr. Angela Dean, at [e-mail] or go to our website, thebrokenpack.com.
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Thank you!
Angela M. Dean, PsyD, FT
Credits:
The Broken Pack™ Podcast is produced by 27 Elephants Media
"If Tomorrow Starts Without Me" © ℗ 2023, 2024
Written by Joe Mylward and Brian Dean
Performed by Fuji Sounds (feat. MYLWD.)
Licensed for use by The Broken Pack™
Now available on all streaming platforms including Apple Music & Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3vx3kk46

Kapitler

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. About Jenn (00:01:10)

3. Mental Health Professionals Experience with Grief (00:03:29)

4. About Melissa (00:05:11)

5. Losing Melissa (00:06:53)

6. Jenn's Disintegration of Self (00:13:58)

7. Melissa as Jenn's Through Line, Her Constant (00:15:10)

8. The Sibling Relationship: The Longest One of Your Life (Until it's Not) (00:16:43)

9. Family Dynamics (00:18:21)

10. The Abyss of Loss and Having Support (00:20:21)

11. The Impact of Losing Melissa on Jenn's Work (00:22:40)

12. The Void of Adult Sibling Loss Resources (00:25:30)

13. Support Now (00:25:54)

14. Jenn's Grief and Her Changing Relationship with Joy (00:28:00)

15. Melissa's Courage (00:33:30)

16. Watching Melissa's Cognitive Decline from Cancer (00:35:20)

17. Jenn's Career Shift (00:37:26)

18. Normalizing Grief (00:39:57)

19. Favorite Memories with Melissa (00:40:37)

20. What Else Jenn Wants Us to KNow (00:43:04)

21. Outro (00:45:44)