Sorry For Your Loss: What working with the dead taught me about life

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Her book weaves personal memories with reported tidbits from experts in the field such as counselors, psychologists, and a death doula, with plenty of humor sprinkled throughout to remind readers it’s okay to laugh even in our darkest moments.” Whilst “I’m sorry for your loss” is overused there is a reason for that. It is the simplest and most concise way of expressing our sorrow for the pain someone is going through. I didn't know this about Covid, but the damage to the lungs that shows up in x-rays is like a cobweb pattern, quite unlike anything else at all. Covid was very difficult for the mortuary workers. They had no more staff but many more bodies to deal with and since it was/is presumed the bodies are still infectious, the horrendously bulky ppe to wear as well. And countless calls from the families of the dead to please let them view them one last time. All denied. If I could find a way to take away your pain, I would move heaven and earth to do so. That is my greatest wish at this difficult time.

Sorry for your Loss’ tells the story of Kate Marshall, who has spent the last year working at a mortuary. It recounts her experiences, particularly memorable patients and how the COVID-19 pandemic changed her job, and her perspective on it, forever.Meet Mr X: Found in his apartment months after his death, Mr X has no relatives that can be traced. He is the longest-serving resident of the mortuary, having been there for almost a year while the search for his elusive family continues. The staff talk to him like an old friend, but Mr X is disintegrating and a decision has to be made soon. Each time I read through my highlighted passages, I think, “Yes—that’s exactly right.” Maybe because my own mother’s death is still fresh, and Kate put many of my emotions into words. Here are some that I found especially meaningful.

Let me start by saying that I love medical books and I although this book is about the dead, it takes place in a hospital mortuary so I do believe this falls into the "medical" field. That being said and although this will sound strange given the subject matter, I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be extremely interesting reading the details that the author provided about what happens to our bodies after we die. I also found it comforting to read all the different reactions from the family members when they are invited in to view the bodies of their loved ones. There were even certain parts that made me laugh as although this is a serious topic, some of the reactions of people and the way the author wrote about them made it a little more light hearted. It was also interesting to me to read the differences in ways that death is handled in the UK as opposed to the US where I live. One part said that people are not embalmed in UK unless there is going to be an extended viewing of the body. Here in the US most bodies are embalmed regardless of viewing time. See all the finalists for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text I tend to engage with a lot of medical media (both fiction and non-fiction) and I think this was perfectly done. It is handled with the exact amount of sensitivity that respects the deceased & their loved ones whilst equally making for a compelling read. Really enjoyed reading this book and I would definitely recommend this if this is something you are interested in.

Whether you need a shoulder to learn on or a friend to cry with, or even to get angry and yell, I am here for you. I am here for you to lean on, now and forever. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, just reach out. This impor­tant top­ic is sen­si­tive­ly han­dled, turn­ing an already excel­lent com­ing-of-age tale into an impor­tant addi­tion to the mid­dle grade bookshelf.”— Jewish Book Council Hold tight to memories for comfort. Lean on your friends for strength. And always remember how much you're loved. The Los Angeles Times is pleased to announce a new hardcover book featuring the widely popular column, “L.A. Affairs.” The book will feature the editors’ favorite selections of true stories from “L.A. Affairs” highlighting nightmare dates, love at first sight, heartbreak and happily ever afters in Southern California.

Poignantly honest and often morbidly amusing…Gachman’s book delivers an offbeat offering of comfort, laughter, and peace by sharing how she is living with grief.” I am the same age as Kate with similarly aged children and my thoughts have turned more to my death since Covid has come to town. My parents have also aged rapidly over the last few years and how I honour them in death, mixing their wishes with my own is very poignant. Kate is absolutely correct when she says we need to talk about death more in our culture and normalise it. It has just occurred to me that while I have full funeral instructions for one of my parents, the other hasn’t even mentioned whether they want to be buried or cremated. body Jenga, switching the bodies inside the refrigerators and freezers to free the space for the new arrivals.It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Printz Honor winner Foley takes readers through tenderhearted and sometimes painfully funny observations. It’s a narrative that is threaded through with incredible feeling. A warm and clear-eyed examination of a family swimming through grief and a boy who finds the light. ALA Booklist (starred review) When Pup excels at a photography assignment he thought he’d bomb, things start to come into focus. His dream girl shows her true colors. An unexpected friend exposes Pup to a whole new world, right under his nose. Kate, thank you for giving a wonderful, heartwarming introduction about what happens behind the scenes when someone dies. I liked how you wrote about how you and your colleagues cared for the deceased. You showed warmth, sadness, humour and your own vulnerability within your story. I loved the respect and the support you showed family members. Moving onto the effects covid had on the relatives and their loved ones. Linda did so well bringing your memories to life. It made me feel emotional and I understood more about the impact on the staff who had to deal with the sadness of relatives and the loneliness of the person dying without someone they knew beside them.

If you’re attending a funeral you may have to introduce yourself to family members or friends of whoever died. Use these alternative words to be express your condolences for their loss.Fate certainly had big plans for the author, who landed a job she never dreamt about. She became a member of the Bereavement Department of a hospital in the UK. Her labor obligations included, among other things, My book of humor essays about living it up in the cheap seats was published by Hachette/Seal Press in 2015. You can get it HERE. This was a brilliant exploration into the after of death. I really appreciated the authors' focus on interacting with the families of the deceased. As someone who works in healthcare, there isn't much opportunity to follow-up and support the families of the deceased, since there are always more patients. Marshall reminds us of how defining grief is to the family. Candid, illuminating, and necessarily playful, Dina Gachman’s So Sorry for Your Loss balances the author’s grief over the loss of her mother and sister with smart reflections, while lacing insights from experts throughout. Gachman not only welcomes readers into her own loss journey, but offers meaningful recognition, genuine solace, valuable resources, and even comfort recipes. So Sorry for Your Loss is a meditation on loss that reminds us how to go on living.” When a friend loses someone dear to them it can be awkward to find the words to comfort and offer support. Certainly they deserve more than just saying “I’m sorry for your loss”.