I lost my son, Terrell F., two days after he graduated from high school.
A year and a half after I lost my son, I went to my grandson’s first-grade graduation. I didn’t know the children were going to be wearing caps and gowns – the same color that my son wore when he graduated. I remember running into the bathroom, almost having a breakdown, and struggling through the whole ceremony. After I left the program, I walked for miles until I got home and I realized that the old me had died with my son. I knew I would never be the person I used to be, and I had to learn to accept this new me. Being a survivor is an everyday struggle.