Mother learns to live with grief after daughter's cancer death
Lauren died 21 months after a glioblastoma diagnosis at age 15 in July 2020.
Kerri Westwood's daughter Lauren fell ill during a school trip overseas and initially appeared to recover. When symptoms worsened at home, scans revealed a brain tumour.
Doctors gave her three to five years to live, but she died in palliative care 21 months later. Kerri says grief is not something to overcome but something to live alongside for life.
She sought counselling and found healing in connecting with other bereaved parents. For the past 18 months she has been a peer mentor through the Ladybird Care Foundation, supporting parents who have also lost children.
- 15 years old
- Lauren's age at diagnosis
- 21 months
- Time from diagnosis to death
- July 2020
- Month Lauren died
- Past 18 months
- Kerri's time as peer mentor
Why it mattersChild loss changes every aspect of a parent's life and shape how they relate to the world, yet support and shared experience can help them survive.
AustraliaGrief support services like Ladybird Care Foundation across Australia help bereaved parents navigate one of life's deepest losses.
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