John M. Perkins Jr.
Submitted by Elizabeth Perkins
My beautiful boy, John, lost his life several years before he died. A very emotionally traumatic experience at the age of 18 set him on a course of hopelessness, including addiction. I tried everything to keep him alive, always afraid that even love was not strong enough to keep him safe. We lost him on 5-5-11. His paternal grandmother died the same day in the same hospital. It was 4 days from my 60th birthday and Mother’s Day. My world changed forever.
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Dear Elizabeth
I am so sorry about the loss of your precious son, John. My 2 sons, Jeremy & Chad are on the Wall too. In the Spring of 2008 they both passed away from accidental prescription drug overdose. Like you, I tried everything to keep my sons safe & alive, but love just wasn’t enough. Losing a child is the greatest loss ever & causes shock to the parents. I feel like I am just now able to begin to mourn. I found a website called “Daily Strength” which offers many different support groups. I now belong to a support group there called “For Moms Only”. It’s for mom’s who have lost a child/children. I truly feel like the mom’s there understand our pain & are in the perfect position to offer support. I would like to suggest that you go there & read some of the stories, journals & see the photos. You don’t have to post anything if you don’t feel comfortable, maybe just getting to know some other mom’s & their stories. If you ever feel comfortable enough you are welcome to share your story as well. No pressure at all, just do what you feel like you are able to do. If you decide to check it out, I am “babiboismom” & I invite you to take a look at my profile, journal & photos. Please know you are not alone in this journey.
Hope to hear from you at Daily Strength/For Moms Only.
Sincerely, Vicki Kirkpatrick