To help someone who is in grief you do not need to have any answers, just be with them.

Tools for finding hope along the journey: Helping others help you


A truth about grief is that others don't always know what to do. Others will try to relate their losses with you and give you advice about what you should or have to do. Most of it is done out of love and concern. Let the people in your life that there is nothing that needs to be fixed. We simply need to grieve and the best thing they can do is to grieve with us.

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]