Grief is a Journey
- Disney actress Olivia Holt, 24, took the time to remember her late cousin, Jase Parker, on social media. He recently passed of a rare cancer that, devastatingly enough, also took the like of his older brother six years ago.
- Grief is an unavoidable and essential part of the healing process following the loss of a loved one to cancer. It’s good to let yourself feel through the emotions of your loss.
- Members of the SurvivorNet community tell us that moving forward after loss does not mean you're necessarily moving on. Things like time, therapy and support groups can also help as you navigate the journey of grief.
The 24-year-old Disney star shared that her cousin, Jase Parker, sadly passed of a rare cancer he was first diagnosed with at just 18 months old. His age is unknown but he was a young boy.
Olivia Holt’s Goodbye
Read More“It's been a heavy couple of days,” she wrote in her caption. “I still don't want to believe it. i dunno if i'll ever be able to make any sort of sense out of this. even coming on here and sharing a lil collection of memories without you here feels weird.”View this post on Instagram
But coping with a cancer-related loss is complex. And Holt then went on to explain the relief she’s feeling since Jase is no longer suffering.
“But i'm so happy your little body isn't in any more pain,” she wrote. “You didn't deserve any of that hurt.”
Holt also took the time to reflect on the kind of person Jase was.
“Jase parker, you were an angel on this earth. a force to be reckoned with,” she explained. “You never met a stranger. you taught me how to be a kind and strong human. you were cosmic. nothing or nobody could compare to you.
“honestly i feel like anything i say about you is just an understatement bc you were just so extraordinary.”
In her closing remarks, Holt shared the heartbreak she felt for the rest of Jase’s family. We can only imagine how they must be feeling since Holt has previously shared that Jase was fighting the same “extremely rare cancer” that took the life of his older brother, kaden, 6 years ago.
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“My body aches for nana and papa, your mama, sissy and dad. the whole family and friends,” she wrote. “You'll be missed a whole lot, i know this for sure. and thank you for introducing me to pizza flavored pringle's. i will be eating them in your honor from now on.
“i love you so much it hurts!!! thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers and love. let's continue to send them to jase's family.”
Losing a Loved One to Cancer
Grief is an inevitable and essential part of the healing process after losing a loved one to cancer. And there's definitely no one way to cope, but Doug Wendt shared his thoughts on grief in a previous interview with SurvivorNet after losing his wife Alice to ovarian cancer.
"We're never gonna move on, I don't even think I want to move on, but I do want to move forward," Wendt said. "That's an important distinction, and I encourage anybody who goes through this journey as a caregiver and then has to face loss, to think very carefully about how to move forward."
Everyone's journey of grief looks different, but therapy and support groups can also be wonderful options to explore. It's also important to keep in mind that time does not heal everything, but it certainly helps.
In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Camila Legaspi shared her own advice on grief after her mother died of breast cancer. For her, therapy made all the difference.
"Therapy Saved My Life": After Losing A Loved One, Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help
"Therapy saved my life," Legaspi said. "I was dealing with some really intense anxiety and depression at that point. It just changed my life, because I was so drained by all the negativity that was going on. Going to a therapist helped me realize that there was still so much out there for me, that I still had my family, that I still had my siblings."
Legaspi also wanted to remind people that even though it can be an incredibly difficult experience to process, things will get better.
"When you lose someone, it's really, really, really hard," Legaspi said. "I'm so happy that I talked to my therapist. Keep your chin up, and it's going to be OK. No matter what happens, it's going to be OK."
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