he stood up, hugged me, and said the words I will never forget as long as I am breathing... “I know this hurts, I know it sucks and I am sorry you’ve had to go through this feeling so alone. But I promise you, this is going to get better. It’s going to be okay; I promise.”

I miss my first-born daughter in a way no one else could possibly miss her. My relationship with her was unlike anyone else’s, and the void in my life and in my family feels so vacuous at times and it’s a very lonely and isolated place to be. The disbelief that the accident actually happened and resulted in Anna’s instant death washes over me again and again. How can it possibly be true?