Loss
Death: Coping with loss

Has someone you loved died?
Kemba was 14 when her mother died of breast cancer. Rachel's friend Sara died suddenly from a heart attack. And Wilson's friend Visif was shot to death. They tell how loss pushed them to find support.

KEMBA: I guess the sense of losing my mother was like losing half of me. I will never have a biological mother there to do stuff.

RACHEL: When my friend Sara died, having friends totally helped. Having people just to hold you. Not as much to say things, 'cause when a tragedy like that happens, there's really nothing you can say that can make it that much better.

WILSON: I suppressed my feelings from everybody until Visif's funeral. That's when I really cried, but that was the only time. Even when they brought me to the grief center, I did not mourn.

KEMBA: There were women at my church that really helped my sister and me. They reminded us that anytime we needed to talk, we could always go to them.

RACHEL: You think, 'Why'd she have to go for us to grow, for us to appreciate life, for us to realize we should respect everything we have, respect each other?'

WILSON: When I suppressed it, I sort of went crazy. I realized that staying alone ain't going to help. You got to be with a group of people and tell them about your experiences. Then they'll listen, they'll understand. They'll tell you what to do. I've made more friends that way instead of just being alone.

KEMBA: Because I had support and mentors, it's possible for me to move on. Knowing that I had people that I could talk to, and that I could turn to when I had questions.