T H I S I S T H E F I R S T I N S TA L L M E N T I N A S E R I E S O N G R I E F W R I T T E N B Y S H A U N A C A L D W E L L ( W I T H G . N E I L PA R K E R ) . SHAUNA LOST HER SONS IN AN ACCIDENT ON FEBRUARY 6, 2016. HER AIM IS TO BE AUTHENTIC IN THE GRIEF J O U R N E Y, S H A R I N G H OW H E R FA I T H I N J E S U S I S C A R R Y I N G H E R T H R O U G H . T H E WO R D O F G O D H A S I N F O R M E D H E R H E A R T A S S H E H A S D E S P E R AT E LY S O U G H T G O D ’ S P E A C E I N T H E M I D S T O F T H E S T O R M .
A vaccine for grief
T
he deaths of our seventeen-year-old identical twin sons seemed to parallel their births. Jordan and Evan arrived and departed from this world side-byside, only moments apart. After a Friday evening youth group event, eight boys hatched a plan for a late-night “adventure” at Calgary’s Olympic bobsled track. Under the cloak of darkness, the boys would meet up secretly for a hi-jinx sledding escapade down the bobsled track. The decision to have some unrestrained fun with friends turned into a deadly tragedy. Their adolescent frontal lobes did not fully appreciate the risks or danger. As they hurtled down the track, they did not realize that a death trap awaited them. Halfway down, an immoveable steel barrier instantly took the lives of our sons and critically injured others. These were the events we pieced together for the coroner on February 6, 2016. Since then, I have attempted to piece together my life.
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APRIL 2021
M B H E R A L D.C O M
