Melissa Hull Turns Personal Loss Into Purpose, Helping Others Navigate Grief and Healing
To get more information, visit her site at: MelissaHull.com.
Melissa Hull, Certified Heart-Centered Grief & Bereavement Specialist, speaker, and author of “Dear Drew: Creating a Life Bigger Than Grief visits the Carolina AM set.
According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4, and it is the second leading cause of death for children ages 5-14. Each year in the country there are over 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths.
Hull knows all too well about the dangers of drowning and the grief that follows for those parents who lose a child to it. She lost her four-year-old son, Drew, to drowning, and it left her consumed with grief and guilt. Through the feelings that gripped her following the incident, she came to realize that grief isn’t something you “get over.” Rather, it is something that one moves forward carrying with them. Through her experience, she realized that healing is a choice that requires active participation.
Whether living near a beach or vacationing near one, it’s crucial to be aware of rip currents, which according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the cause of around 100 deaths per year on the country’s beaches. Rip currents, they explain, form as incoming waves that push water toward the shoreline, which creates an imbalance of water piling up in the surf. They report that rip currents are often referred to as drowning machines by lifeguards, as they are the leading cause of rescues for people in the surf. They can occur on any beach with breaking waves, including the Great Lakes. If caught in a rip current it is important to stay calm and swim parallel to the shore to get out of it. If someone on shore spots someone stuck in a rip current, they should remain calm, and get a lifeguard, or call for emergency assistance.
Hull’s book has been hailed for her ability to share the raw experience of losing a child, along with the compassionate tools that parents need to be able to still live a life of meaning after their loss. She helps parents be able to move forward with the grief, reminding them that love and loss are possible. She uses a combined approach to healing that is holistic, personalized, and rooted in purpose, meaning, and resilience.
Hull is not only a grief expert, but a guide for fully living after loss. She focuses on helping people who have experienced loss to build a life that is bigger than grief by incorporating what actually helps people move forward with it. To get more information, visit her site at: MelissaHull.com.
