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The Compassionate Friends

Salt Lake City Chapter

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When a Child Dies....

When a child dies parents mourn and begin a process of bereavement. Bereaved parents experience many different feelings ----disbelief, sadness, loneliness, fear, anger, regret, guilt, despair, and personal loss. These feelings are all a part of the emotional reaction called "grief". Sometimes feelings of grief may be so intense that parents do not understand what is happening. Some parents tend to keep feelings inside while others are able to express their grief easily and openly. While there is no "right way" to grieve, other parents who have experienced the death of a child offer understanding and support through The Compassionate Friends.

What is Our Purpose?

The Compassionate Friends is a self-help organization offering friendship and understanding to bereaved parents. The purposes are to support and aid parents in the positive resolution of the grief experienced upon the death of their child, and to foster the physical and emotional health of bereaved parents and siblings.

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Origin of Compassionate Friends

The Compassionate Friends was founded in Coventry, England by Rev. Simon Stephens in 1969. Rev. Stephens was the Assistant to the Chaplain in the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital. Many children died each year in the hospital as a result of accidents and illness. After the coinciding deaths of two young boys at the hospital, their parents met by chance and a meaningful friendship developed. In their mutual grieving, they discovered that by listening to each other, by crying together if they felt like doing so, by understanding how each felt, their grief was lessened. They, together with other bereaved parents in Coventry, asked Rev. Stephens to work with them in the establishment of an organization which could offer understanding , friendship, support and care to other bereaved parents. The Compassionate Friends grew throughout the United Kingdom. The first United States chapter was organized Miami, Florida in 1972. In 1978 The Compassionate Friends was incorporated as a Not-For-Profit corporation.

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