It happened on a family trip to Lake Michigan. My father saw two boys struggling in the current, and he jumped in to rescue them. Seconds later, he pulled the boys to safety, but in the process, he was lost under the choppy waters forever. I was seven years old.
When you’ve lost a loved one at such a young age, it’s so hard to understand the depth of your loss, let alone navigate your grief and try to work through it. And that’s why I created Peer Healing, a nationwide organization that works to help bereaved teens learn coping skills and find community with other teens who have lost a loved one.
At the core of Peer Healing is our peer-to-peer model. I worked with researchers and experts in the field to create a 10-week program to help bereaved teens at every step of the grieving process. And what’s really beautiful about Peer Healing is you feel a sense of hope because you see other teens navigating their loss and working through their loss, and it lets you know that you can too. To me, tikkun olam means transforming grief into empowerment, and I’m so proud to have been able to impact so many bereaved teens across the country.