Help families like the Sages

Imagine the unimaginable. Your children are at school. You’ve done your best to keep their lives normal — as normal as you can — while their father fights a swift and brutal cancer. And then the call comes, your partner and the parent of your children has died.

For Megan Sage, parent to Michael (12 years old) and Mason (9 years old), this was the one of the most frightening moments of her life. Megan’s husband, Marc, who called Michael his “mini me” and swelled with pride when people remarked how much his sons looked like him, had died of stage 4 metastatic thyroid cancer just six weeks after his diagnosis.

That day in December of 2016, Megan found the courage to tell her sons that their dad had died. “We held each other for a long time,” she shared.

Michael’s teacher tried to give him the support he needed to feel comfortable at school, but “he often came home frustrated because his friends didn’t know what to say to him about his dad. And when we tried to talk about it at home, I cried,” Megan said about this time.

That’s when the Sages started attending support groups at The Dougy Center.

“When I went to The Dougy Center, I found kids like me who had lost someone they loved,” said Michael. “It’s easy to make friends at The Dougy Center and there are lots of opportunities to share your feelings.”

Today, the Sages continue to attend The Dougy Center for grief support groups every other week. Michael and Mason look forward to seeing their Dougy Center friends and being in a place that helps them feel comfortable talking about their dad.

The Dougy Center does not charge families for its services and relies on private donations to fund its programs. Please consider a donation this holiday season. Your gift will make a difference for grieving families like the Sages.

What does grief feel like?

Grief is something we will all experience at some point in our lives. Even though it is universal, it is also distinctly unique. Who died, how they died, how old we were, what our relationship was like with that person, and all the elements that make up who we are in the world shape and influence our grief.

This November, in honor of National Children’s Grief Awareness Month, we asked children and teens at The Dougy Center: “What does grief feel like for you?”

Here’s some of what we heard from them. Maybe you can relate?

“Grief feels like I have a mask on.”
“Grief feels like a tornado came and shook up my world.”
“Grief feels like a rotten apple.”
“Grief feels like a big, sad storm cloud.”
“Grief feels like eating pizza, and I hate pizza. Yuck!”

Watch for these and other responses on social media this month, and join the conversation.

Thank you for making our Fall Luncheon a huge success!

A huge thank you to Event Chairs Thane and Marnie Eddington, our generous sponsors, the Sage family, and all who helped make The Dougy Center’s annual Fall Luncheon, “Portraits of Courage” an overwhelming success. Together we raised nearly $100,000 for grieving children, teens, young adults, and their families who find comfort and support at The Dougy Center!

Thank you to our sponsors!

Presenting Sponsor

Patron Sponsors:

Friends Sponsors:
Deloitte
Pacific Office Automation
Regence BlueCross BlueShield
Troutman Sanders