Episode 481: Gretchen Evans. Lost Brother to Suicide, Lost Sister & Her Twin Children in Accident

My friend Gretchen Norman Evans (married mother of one, active LDS) shares the story losing her dear brother Jacob Norman to suicide while he attended BYU in May of 2019. She continues by sharing the story of losing her dear sister Alanna Norman Koons and her twin 18-month old daughters Ruby and June in a car crash in July of 2019. Gretchen and her family (a strong, open and very close family) are living with immense pain of the reality of losing so many family members. Gretchen shares thoughts on why someone becomes suicidal and what we can do to help them—along with insights to help family members when a someone completes suicide. Gretchen also has important and helpful ideas on how to grieve, how to allow others to grieve, and how to improve our Church culture to allow people to grieve, be real and help them heal. Gretchen bravely shares how she is feeling, what she is learning, what she is doing to be in a safe and sustainable place and how she is finding hope for the future. If you have lost of family member and are dealing with immense pain, Gretchen’s insights will help you. If you want to help others dealing with loss, Gretchen’s perspectives will help you. I felt we were on sacred ground as we recorded this podcast. Thank you Gretchen for having the courage to share your story. It honors all your family and helps us do better. You are helping so many.