The loss of a parent, sibling or child is traumatic at any age. For a child, this type of loss is beyond words. The entire family dynamic changes for all those left behind. Valerie’s House not only helps a child/family cope – it helps them heal. On a personal level, I wish we had access to Valerie’s House when tragedy struck our family.

I grew up in the Chicagoland area and was brought up in a wonderful and loving household. My childhood was the kind the American dream was based on. I was a first-generation American-Croatian kid – who grew up during the Reagan Era and wanted for nothing. My life was perfect, going as expected and planned - high school, college, marriage…..life had other plans. Within four months, we lost my Dad to cancer, and I was pregnant with my first child. My mom was a widow at 42 with a son in college, expecting her first grandchild and dealing with a pregnant daughter on the verge of divorce. There was nowhere to go. No grief counseling. No support groups. We trudged on the best we could, and we made it through everything together.

Fast forward 8 or so years. I am happily remarried! We are a merged family of five – his two and my one, with a baby on the way. Life was once again perfect – great marriage, kids, job …..I was in my third trimester of pregnancy when I was in a head-on collision. We lost the baby, and I was given my last rights while I was in a coma.

OUR entire family dynamic changed. School counselors jumped in to help with our children – but that was short-lived. There wasn’t a Valerie’s House for them to talk about whatever they needed to talk about or just hang out. There was nowhere for the family to go as a unit. Support groups for spouses, siblings, parents and grandparents were unheard of. Our kids lost a sibling they were so excited to meet – he was a little bit of everyone. Although they didn’t lose me, the majority of their formative years were consumed by my overwhelming recovery, which thus far has included nearly 30 surgeries. All those challenges have blessed me with a level of appreciation for life and the ability to call upon inner strength. I’ve learned that I can be as strong as I need to be. I just wish my kids had someone to talk to and somewhere to go during those years.

I am so happy and grateful there is a resource like Valerie’s House. It is so incredible that children of all ages have somewhere to go and just be with other kids who understand what they are going through. Valerie’s House is that place. It wasn’t until I took a tour of Valerie’s House in Collier that I realized the extent of how they help grieving children, spouses and the entire extended family if need be.

As the Community Relations Director representing State Attorney Amira Fox and the Office of the State Attorney, I am proud and honored to be on Valerie’s House Naples Advisory Committee and able to offer support in launching Val’s PALS mentor programs in Collier, Charlotte and Lee counties.