Group helps grieving parents move forward

MILTON, Fla. (WALA) - Parents who lose a child may feel like they have nowhere to turn for help in the healing process, but a group in Santa Rosa County is changing that.

"There's no road map. There's no road of right or wrong or how to handle it," said Marie Harris.

It's every mother's worst nightmare, and tragically, just five short years ago, Harris lived it.

"My son, Chase, was 21. On December 26, 2006, he was killed in an automobile accident. Spiraling down - your family - it just tears your family unit apart," said Harris.

Chase's pride and joy was a boat he bought just before he passed away. His father, Jesse, spent a year in the shed fixing it up for his lost son.

Meanwhile, Marie Harris yearned for a support system. She and a friend going through the same thing landed on The Compassionate Friends, a national organization where those who have lost loved ones, especially children, can grieve together in an effort to move on. With that, the Santa Rosa County chapter was born.

"This is a club that no one ever wants to be involved in. So to have those that understand the grief of losing a child ... It's a healing process to be able to share with someone who truly understands what you are going through," Harris said.

The group meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Chumuckla Community Church, and the woman who once didn't seek out others in her time of grief, now talks to her members about her son.

"This pushed me to share my story, to try to find others, to help others with that. It really does heal to pay it forward," Harris said.

And many others will have that chance Saturday, as the group plans to put one collective foot forward - never forgetting but moving on from the past. They called it "A Walk to Remember," and it will be held at the Pensacola Junior College (PJC) campus in Milton. Harris and others will honor their children by displaying their names and walking together in their memory.

"Everyday I see him in something. Whether it be a butterfly outside or a song on the radio, you always will remember them," Harris said.

Saturday's two mile walk begins at 8 a.m. on the PJC track. It will be followed by a memorial dedicated to those who are gone far too soon.