Tom’s Story of Hope

I am an autistic man in my 50s. My father, Warren, died at the age of 90. I had lived my entire life with my parents. Dad and I grew especially close after my mother died in 2002. We enjoyed playing checkers, watching the food channel, taking drives around our small village, barbecuing in our backyard and getting ice cream. My dad was special because he was always there for me.

After Dad passed away, I came to live with my sister, Terry. I moved from a small village in upstate New York to Dallas, and everything in my life was about as different as it could be. The biggest change was that Dad wasn’t here for the first time in my life. My grief was immense. I was very sad and overwhelmed and adjusting to all the changes was hard. After a few months, Terry found the Grief and Loss Center and I started talking to Laurie there. This made a tremendous difference and I slowly began to see a way to move forward in my life.

The Grief and Loss Center is a good place to talk about personal experiences and you can trust them. My grief counselor is always there for me and I know she’ll always be a friend.

Terry says, “The Grief and Loss Center is such an uplifting place for Tom. He feels comfortable talking to Laurie. She is so kind and compassionate. All kinds of people are welcomed there and treated without judgement. Today Tom is thriving and adapting, trying new things and expanding his world. He still misses our father deeply but he is able to talk about him and enjoys remembering their special bond.”