Surviving the Loss of a Child: A Mexican-American’s Story

Abstract

This paper tells the story of a mother’s loss of her 10-year-old daughter from cancer. It is in part a pain and suffering narrative and a story of remarkable post-loss growth and transformation. It is a story told for busy parents and multitasking nurses, to all of us who need to relearn how to be attentive to others, particularly our children. The woman who tells the story is one of the authors (M.V.-W.); she is a Mexican-American. The paper is based on two interviews of M.V.-W., using questions similar to those used by one of the authors (S.L.B.) with his study of fathers and sibling. Following the interviews is a brief discussion on the loss of a child from a humanbecoming perspective, with a few comments on the immigration of nurses.