Prairie Doc: Grief and loss

It was near the end of that summer, but the beginning of a long period of mourning for my family and me.

There were lessons that came to me after my sister’s death. I realized how important support from a community could be.

Consolation came from our friends, neighbors, church community, as well as people we barely knew. It seemed more about their presence and not their words. I noticed there were people who had trouble themselves dealing with such loss, and they sort of disappeared.

Also, I realized that a funeral is not exactly a time of closure for a family, but really just the beginning of a time to accept reality and forge ahead with the difficult changes that life can and does deal out.

It took me years to think about my sister and relish in her memory rather than cringe from the pain of the loss.In that sense, I know I will never have closure and that’s good.

Some 14 years after her death, while I was on the faculty of a medical school in Georgia, I found myself having to advise medical students how to talk to patients or family about sad news. I reviewed the medical literature on the subject at the time and concluded that there is no right way to do it except to be 100 percent honest and to say whatever is needed with compassion.

Through the years those guidelines have sustained me while I have had the burden of sharing awful news.

Bottom line, it is being there, more than words that consoles. Never worry about what to say, just show up, be honest, and care.

Richard P. Holm, MD wrote this essay in February 2020. He passed away in March of 2020 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was founder of The Prairie Doc® and author of “Life’s Final Season, A Guide for Aging and Dying with Grace” available on Amazon. Dr. Holm’s legacy lives on through his Prairie Doc® organization. For free and easy access to the entire Prairie Doc® library, visit www.prairiedoc.org and follow Prairie Doc® on Facebook, featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show streaming on Facebook and broadcast on SDPB most Thursdays at 7 p.m. Central.