Stori held her mother’s hand while overwhelmed with emotion. She was receiving treatment following the onset of a sudden illness and Stori comforted her through the night, with plans to leave in the morning.

The doctors said her mother would recover quickly and head home in a few days; however, that was not the case.

It was Stori’s father, Kevin, that broke the news.

“At that moment, my heart sunk and my life shattered apart,” Stori said. “I was in a dark place after losing my mom, and I didn’t know how to function anymore. I had lost the one person who I thought I could never live without.”

Stori was 13 years old when she lost her mother due to medical complications in 2015.

Shortly after the loss, Stori tried individual counseling but didn’t benefit from the experience. She still felt lost and hopeless without her special person.

It wasn’t until she attended a Valerie’s House group night when she finally felt like there was a place she belonged.

“I found ways to live on and power through my grief,” Stori said. “I’ve come to realize the strength that I have. I’ve met wonderful people who share similar stories with me and having that type of support system has made this journey feel less isolating.”

Stori said she was hesitant to come to our teen grief-support group, but after she finished her first one, she asked her father if they could come back in two weeks for the next meeting.

Kevin attests to Stori’s growth and has also experienced his own growth since attending group night at Valerie’s House.

“I just remember having this feeling of being exactly where we needed to be,” Kevin said. “Initially, we felt hope. The hope that we were going to get through this tragic loss and heal on an individual level and a family level. Hope was the greatest gift.”

Today, Stori gives back to Valerie’s House by volunteering as a group facilitator and working directly with grieving teens like herself.

In the next five years, she plans to continue her education and eventually become a clinical psychologist working with children struggling with mental illness and grief.

“I couldn’t have gone through this alone,” Stori said. “I’ve grown, and I don’t think I could’ve reached this point without understanding the emotions and grief that I was feeling. I wouldn’t have been able to understand any of it without Valerie’s House.”