when a child dies (continued). published by Veritas (2008)

The sudden death of a child creates chaos in a family, and

the family must struggle through this chaos before beginning

their grieving process. We experienced this chaos on Sunday

18 February 1990 when our youngest child, Cathal, was

killed on the road outside our house. He was only thirteen,

still innocent, full of fun, a kind and caring child. For some

time I have considered writing an account of how we dealt

with the chaotic situation we found ourselves in, and how we

coped with the overwhelming sense of loss, especially in the

early days. It is only now, after a long period of training to be

a counseller, that I can contemplate such an undertaking.