Childs has teamed up with her longtime collaborator, Sue Cronin, who formerly worked as a program director for the center, to launch Footsteps Forward, a nonprofit organization. The goal is to fill the considerable gap left behind by the closure of the Centre for Living with Dying, which helped roughly 1.5 million people navigate grief and trauma over its 50-year run, according to Childs.
When Ilona suddenly lost her husband to suicide six years ago, she was heading the customs department of a medium-sized company. Distracting herself with work helped her to bring a sense of normality back into her life, she recalls. Ilona quickly realized that she wouldn't be able to cope with her loss alone so she sought help. A neighbor told her about a support group in Berlin. There, she met Patricia, who's been the group's volunteer leader for over 10 years.
"I don't think I've ever been such a crier. I feel like I cried a lot, all the time," said Lopez. "And PTSD really [messed] with my appetite. It's part of my politics to combat fatphobia, but I lost like 40 pounds."