Montreal foundation helps kids understand loss and grief with their peers

The Myra's Kids Foundation is a local foundation that helps kids honour and understand their grief and encourages young people to talk about their loss. (CTV News)

Children's Grief Awareness Day was on Nov. 16, but as anyone who has lost a loved one knows, grief isn't relegated to one day alone.

The Montreal-based Myra's Kids Foundation helps kids honour and understand their grief and encourages young people to talk about their loss.

The people behind the foundation believe that children grieving the death of a parent need to talk about their feelings, especially to someone who understands.

"Her name was Anne-Marie, she made my family, had a lot of fun, she died when I was five, and I really miss her," said 11-year-old Mylo Bergeron-Waye about the loss of his mother.

Bergeron-Waye talked about his mom, Anne-Marie Bergeron, when he took part in Myra's Kids Foundation activities, like visiting the Old Port and making a personal, blue butterfly decoration and displaying it with other kids who have also lost a loved one.

"The worst thing that can happen to a child is obviously a parent a dying," explained Jon Reider, the founder of Myra's Kids Foundation.

His mother, Myra, died when he was three years old.

"My mother's name was never mentioned, there were no pictures of her and nobody spoke of her," he said, which led him to create a foundation to offer the help he never had.

Reider says kids don't always show it when they're hurting; that's why there is a Children's Grief Awareness Day. The foundation provides a safe place for children to honour and understand their grief.

Reider spoke to students, including Mylo's Grade 5 class at Roslyn Elementary School.

"It's truly wonderful to know that our students have a space and a place where they can talk about their grief and it's OK to talk about their grief and there's no expiry date for their grief," said Principal Joanna Genovezos.

Every summer, Myra's Kids Foundation runs a free bereavement camp for children ages six to 17.

"For the first time, they're together with other kids who have experienced the same trauma and the minute they get on the bus they look left and right and say, 'Who died in your family?' and there's an immediate connection," said Reider.

Mylos says that the connection between the kids is important.

"Normally, when you talk to normal people, they don't understand really how it feels you lost someone but at the camp everyone feels the same and it feels nice to talk to people that lost the same thing," he said.

They say that sharing the sadness can lighten the load it brings.

"We've had messages from the parents saying it's the first time they've seen their children smile and talk about their loved one," Reider said.

More information about the foundation is available at myraskids.ca.