Discussing School Supports for… After
It seems like as Soraya’s health declines, the amount of heavy conversations we have to have only grows.
Soraya recently stopped participating in virtual classes. Knowing this was due to her decline, the school bravely reached out to discuss what supports our family – especially Yasmeen and Leena – will need once Soraya passes.
This caught me totally by surprise. Despite trying to prepare as much as possible for the future and the impact Soraya’s passing will have on our family, I had NEVER thought about her school or school district.
The school and their team were kind enough to send me a list of questions to think about. These questions provided an opportunity to check in on Yasmeen and Leena and learn that there were supports they would want I hadn’t been aware of.
What I loved most about the school approaching me was that they said we can change our thoughts/plans at any time. We can touch base every few months and as needed. The other beautiful thing is that they are willing and wanting to meet with Soraya’s palliative care doctor and learn about the school resources that our hospice has.
Still, answering the questions was HARD.
When I dropped off Yasmeen at the junior high for an event yesterday, I realized that I had never been in the drop-off lane at this new school, which has been updated since Yasmeen was a student there (she’s in high school now). As I was trying to figure out the flow of traffic, I burst into tears. No warning.
It hit me that this is the school Soraya is supposed to be at, and I never once got to drop her off there. Actually, she has never even attended a class in that building...and I sobbed.
Even when you are anticipating it, grief still hits unexpectedly. And it still hurts.