Waiting To Exhale: Joan's Journey To Faith's Lodge

One Bright Star - Life After Loss

Mankato, Minnesota nonprofit, One Bright Star, offers grants to families and individuals to attend a grief retreat in Danbury, Wisconsin called Faith's Lodge. It's a safe place for families to gather who have suffered child loss. On this Life After Loss podcast, we are joined by Joan Stanford. Her son, Jeremy, died in 2019 to veterans suicide. Joan was the first recipient of a One Bright Star grant to attend Faith's Lodge. She describes her experience over the three-day weekend and outlines what others can expect when they attend. She said it was empowering to share her story with others who have suffered a similar loss. She felt she could finally breathe and exhale since the loss of her son five years ago. She said the experience was healing and felt she was not alone on her grief journey. The experience made Joan feel special and she also felt able to give others hope in letting them know that they could also find meaning and happiness in their lives following such a tragic loss. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, help is available. Please dial or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for free and confidential support. OneBrightStar.org