Grief is a hard thing to overcome. It is also one of those things that is hard to understand if you haven’t experienced it. My dad passed away when I was 9 days away from turning 2 and he was 32. Since I was so young, it was very hard for me to understand.

My family tries not to look at Father’s Day as a day to be sad and missing dad. Instead, it’s a day to remember how great he was and how proud he would be to see what young ladies we have grown up to be.

One thing that has helped was learning how to be open and talk about my feelings. At Experience Camps each summer, I have learned ways to cope with my feelings of grief with the help of clinicians and through meeting lifelong friends who understand what I am going through. I can’t wait to go back next summer!