Support group offers lifeline to parents who have lost a child

CAROLINE MOORE’s two children, Amy and Andrew, died of the same, incurable disease.

At first, Caroline, from Co Laois, thought nobody could understand the depths of her despair but Anam Cara, an association for bereaved parents, was able to help.

“At Anam Cara, they do understand the great despair that follows the loss of our children because each one of the parents I met experienced that loss themselves,” Caroline says. “Anam Cara helped me find ways to cope with my loss. They provided me a lifeline and a listening ear when I needed it most.”

Anam Cara yesterday launched an initiative entitled A Balloon to Remember in memory of the children who have lost their lives. The campaign aims to create awareness of the association and raise funds to extend these services nationwide.

Launched in early 2008, Anam Cara was the inspiration of a few parents who met after the death of their own children and unintentionally became each other’s support. It soon became evident that a formal support network was needed in Ireland. For Anna McGroddy from Donegal, one of the group’s original founders, “Anam Cara has simply become the organisation I so desperately looked for when my son died.”

Statistics are one thing; the reality of loss is another. “Every year in Ireland approximately 1,950 families lose a son or daughter,” says Sharon Vard, association chief executive. “At Anam Cara we do not identify ourselves by the age of our children or how they died. We are an inclusive group open to all bereaved parents. No matter how old or young, they were our beloved child and supposed to outlive us.”

Vincent and Julien Kingston, from Macroom, Co Cork, can identify with this. Keen sportsman Daniel, 25, passed away on February 10, after a long battle with cancer. Inspired by his courage and strength, the family set out to raise €10,000 for the Cork ARC Cancer Support House. Instead, they gathered an amazing €155,000 for the appeal.

* For Cork ARC, call 021-4276688 or go to www.corkcancersupport.ie For details on Anam Cara go to www.anamcara.ie