There used to be 5 stages of grief

Tools for finding hope along the journey: Be your own guide


It is so hard when we are faced with so many different grief theories, stages, steps or models. We may try to fit ourselves into the categories and are confused when they do not fit, or we feel like we are going backwards because we are back at the first stage again. Grief is a uniquely personal journey we can only be the guide for ourselves. We travel our own path but we do not do it alone.

Artwork by Tanya Lord
About the Artist

Tanya Lord was a special education teacher when Noah died. After his death she read The Institute of Medicine’s report To Err Is Human and realized that the errors responsible for her son’s death were not unique. This created a desire and determination to better understand and work towards improving health care. Currently she has completed a master’s degree in public health and a PhD in clinical and population health research and is completing a post-doctoral fellowship. Lord shares her personal and professional experiences in presentations and workshops for medical staff and students focusing on the importance of effective communication with patients before and after an error. She also is a co-founder of The Grief Toolbox (www.thegrieftoolbox.com), which offers tools to help those along the grief journey. Lord may be contacted at [email protected]