Different losses carry different kinds of weight, and all deserve compassion.
When I was 12 years old, my brother David died suddenly. He was 20. The cause was an undiagnosed heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. I had a month off school that December, and when I returned in January, one of my most vivid memories is being told off by a teacher because my work wasn’t up to date. No one checked if I was okay. In fact, no one acknowledged that my brother had died just four weeks earlier.
Thankfully, we have made progress in bereavement support since then. Wellbeing support in schools has developed significantly, and conversations around grief are far more open than they once were.
The loss of a sibling can bring a complicated mix of emotions. One sibling I met recently spoke about how often people begin by asking, “How are your parents?” She described the urge to scream, “I’m grieving too.”
In January 2025, following the success of the 2wish coffee mornings, we launched our first Adult Sibling Support Group. The group was born out of a clear need. Many of our members shared the same experience: while supporting their parents through unimaginable loss, their own worlds had also fallen apart.
We meet every other month at the 2wish office. Together, members share memories, talk openly about navigating their grief, and support one another.
Molli, Olivia-Grace’s sister, recently described her experience of the group:
“At a time when I’ve felt so alone in the world with what we’re going through, this group has given me a space where people understand my perspective. I’m not ‘that girl whose sister died’ — I’m just a girl who’s relatable. It’s one of the very few times I’ve actually felt normal over the last few months, and that’s been invaluable to me.”
While my colleague Sally and I facilitate the sessions, the real strength of the group comes from the members themselves. They share coping strategies that work in the real world and create a space where honesty is welcomed.
It can be incredibly healing to hear someone voice the “taboo” feelings of grief — anger, guilt, even survivor’s guilt — and realise you are neither alone nor “crazy” for feeling them.
The 2wish Adult Sibling Support Group provides a safe, compassionate space for siblings to connect with others who truly understand their unique lived experience. Losing a sibling can feel incredibly isolating. No one should have to carry that grief alone.
