About Marny
Walker’s mom
On September 9, 2018 my life change forever. My son, Walker took his own life very unexpectedly. His friends called him the ultimate glue-guy; he always brought people together and made sure no one was left out. I am following in his legacy. My journey through grief has taught me many things about myself and the world. One important lesson is that this is not a journey we should do alone. So, in Walker’s memory we are creating weekends of community and connection for grieving moms – no one should walk alone!
About Diantha
Ellen’s mom
April 2, 2020 my world shattered. My 14 year old daughter, Ellen died of a brain aneurysm that was caused by undiagnosed leukemia. Ellen was the “best friend” to so many. She lived with joy and shared her light with everyone she met. Ellen showed unconditional love to everyone who was fortunate enough to be in her life. Her huge presence on this earth is missed beyond words. In the beginning I was lost on this journey and then I met Marny, who has walked side by side with me on “good” days and even more so on the bad days. This grief journey is not meant to be navigated alone and it is so difficult to understand how the people I thought would be there for everything, have abandoned me. I am thankful that I don’t have to walk alone.
How we met
In our search for “the answers” we both found our way to Helping Parents Heal on Facebook. After commenting on a post, we started messaging each other… a lot!! We signed up for classes together and would discuss them. Mostly, we shared our journey…the good, the bad and the very ugly. Recognizing the importance of this connection and the connection we had with other mothers, we started talking about creating weekends. Thus the Don’t Walk Alone weekends were born.