Michelle thought she had the perfect life, recently married to her teenage love, they had bought their first home and had just given birth to her first son. The first month of being a New Mum was blessed, however 5 weeks later, Michelle’s life came crashing down, when her sister, Diane (20) was found dead in her sleep, unexpectedly from SUDEP. The last spoken words remembered were a sibling squabble. She just didn’t want to be here anymore and the struggle to get up and show up everyday for her baby was exhausting. Michelle got up everyday and carried on as ‘normal’. 15 months after losing her sister Michelle welcomed her second son into the world and for a while her 2 babies kept her busy emotionally and physically. However, everything was more removed from normal than ever. The loss of her sister had unlocked hidden memories of being abused as a young child by her Grandfather. Over the years, the grief and trauma was having a deeper impact on her marriage. Michelle was diagnosed with PTSD and took antidepressants to numb the feelings of life. After years of fundraising and raising awareness of SUDEP, working in the family business and being a full time Mummy, the marriage sadly didn’t survive. Michelle realised that she had always put herself at the bottom of the pile, that old saying “you need to put your oxygen mask on first” could not have been more true. After years of personal development, Michelle found her true passion and mission in life. In 2015, Michelle started helping bereaved siblings through their grief journey. Sibling grief is unique and the journey can be lonely and fraught whilst trying to stay strong for other family members.
