As previously promised I will now serialise my book on the death of our child, Cathal, who died 0n 18th February 1990.
Introduction
In talking about the death of a child, I wish to be as
inclusive as possible. Pre-natal and post-natal children,
miscarried children, children who die in the womb, stillbirths, children who die soon after birth, pre-teen and
teenagers, and adult children of all ages are relevant to the
context of this book. To lose a child is one of the most
devastating ordeals a family can suffer. Our children have said
that they cannot imagine how painful it is for Mary and
me, as parents, to have lost our child. Breda, one of our
daughters, cannot find words to express how sad she is for us
that we were to ‘fall in love, carry a baby for nine months,
give birth, and then lose that person you created together. To
have him snatched away years before his time’. That may be
so, and there is no point in trying to compare the severity of
grief, but having read the anguish that my surviving children
suffered, I can only conclude that the pain of siblings is far
more severe than what we may imagine.
Tags: death of a child