The Terrifying Wind

It took only one phone call to change a family’s life forever. When twenty-five-year-old Melissa Sullivan arrived at the hospital, she was already in a coma. Several days went by as Judith Sullivan, her husband, and her son and his wife held vigil in the hospital waiting room. Holding on to hope, the family clung to each other and to the friends that stopped by to offer support. But Melissa would not survive the cardiac arrest. Judith and her family then went on a journey. They struggled to understand how Melissa could have died. They realized that their family would have to be redefined. And they learned the value of good friends—life supporters—who walked with them on their journey. The Terrifying Wind: Seeling Shelter Following the Death of a Child is a haunting and honest account of how one family survived such a horrible assault to its psyche. Anyone who has lost a child or a loved one will find hope at the end of the storm. Anyone who has felt helpless watching a friend struggle to cope with such a loss will find a practical guide on how to become a life supporter to someone whose life has been turned upside down. And in the end, Judith Sullivan gives the reader hope that there is a way to go on. There is a way to find shelter.

It took only one phone call to change a family’s life forever. When twenty-five-year-old Melissa Sullivan arrived at the hospital, she was already in a coma. Several days went by as Judith Sullivan, her husband, and her son and his wife held vigil in the hospital waiting room. Holding on to hope, the family clung to each other and to the friends that stopped by to offer support. But Melissa would not survive the cardiac arrest. Judith and her family then went on a journey. They struggled to understand how Melissa could have died. They realized that their family would have to be redefined. And they learned the value of good friends—life supporters—who walked with them on their journey. The Terrifying Wind: Seeling Shelter Following the Death of a Child is a haunting and honest account of how one family survived such a horrible assault to its psyche. Anyone who has lost a child or a loved one will find hope at the end of the storm. Anyone who has felt helpless watching a friend struggle to cope with such a loss will find a practical guide on how to become a life supporter to someone whose life has been turned upside down. And in the end, Judith Sullivan gives the reader hope that there is a way to go on. There is a way to find shelter.

Judith Sullivan grew up in southern Minnesota, received a B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota, a M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the University of St. Thomas, and has worked at a major urban hospital in Minneapolis as a psychologist for many years. Since her daughter’s death in 2001, she has written about her bereavement as it evolved over a decade. Profoundly affected by specific forms of support received throughout this experience, she was inspired to write this book and share these life-enhancing lessons with others.