Georgia’s Story

“In 2009, my grandad died suddenly from a heart attack. He was my role model and one of the most important people in my life. When mum and I moved back to the UK in 2005, we moved back to be with him. I couldn’t stand leaving my grandy. I was lucky enough to live with him for the next few years before he then passed. I will always remember the day my mum told me the news. I had just come back from brownie camp and was so excited to show my grandad all the amazing things I’d made, but I knew something was wrong.

Processing such a huge loss at such a young age was the most isolating experience I’ve ever had. No one else my age was going through the same thing. No one else understood. Until I went to Nelson’s Journey. Here was where I was finally able to process my grief; understand the variety of emotions I was feeling and connect with other young people also going through the same thing. Through 1 to 1 support, as well as attending the Hilltop therapeutic weekend, I was able to start building a life where my grief was manageable, not gone, but manageable.

Nelson’s Journey has made me the person I am today, without a doubt. The early support in those initial years was crucial in processing my emotions, as well as providing support for my mum, who was also trying to navigate her own grief whilst raising me as a single parent. This charity means so much to me, that I continued to volunteer as a young adult. I helped to create the Bereavement Support Box, made presentations to corporate companies about my experience and the work of Nelson’s Journey, and helped at countless fundraising events. The skills and support that NJ provided for me on the Youth Panel was equally invaluable, and provided me with even more confidence to pursue multiple different careers into my adult life.

And now, I continue my journey with this charity through my voluntary work as an adult. I get to volunteer at the same therapeutic weekends I experienced as a child. I am lucky enough to be a very small piece in the lives of young children attempting to navigate the most difficult thing that has ever happened to them. Nothing will ever be able to describe the gratitude I have to be able to give back in this way. I feel their pain, even though everyone’s grief is so individual.

I can honestly say that Nelson’s Journey changed my life. This year, I ran my first 10km race and raised £610 for NJ in memory of my grandad. I would never have even thought I’d be capable of achieving this without the help of Nelson’s Journey, as a child, a teenager, and all the way through to my current adult life.”