When Families Feel Understood: Meet Derek and Taylor

Derek and Taylor started going to Dougy Center after Tamara, Derek's wife and Taylor's mom died when Taylor was just 14. Derek and Taylor suddenly found themselves navigating grief without anyone who truly understood the magnitude of what they were experiencing. “We each felt so alone through the illness, struggling to cope, and without any peer group of families going through the same thing,” Derek recalled. A social worker at Providence St. Vincent ICU suggested Dougy Center. “After we got to Dougy Center, we were not alone in navigating our grief,” Derek said. “We had somewhere to share our deepest thoughts with people who ‘got it.’” For Taylor, the impact was immediate. “Going to Dougy Center normalized her tragic experience,” Derek shared, “She was not alone in what she had experienced, was feeling, and how she was trying to cope.” Her favorite part was the conversations — “talking, comparing notes with other teens, feeling heard and not quite so alone.”

Latest Episode

April 9th, 2026

Throughlines: Keeping A Connection With My Mom

Jeremy's mom was a protector, an optimist, and someone who held onto a sense of lightness—even after a cancer diagnosis that led to her death just a few months later. In this episode, Jeremy shares what it was like to navigate such a short window between his mom's diagnosis and death, and how her outlook continues to shape him and his grief. From visiting her just before her death to to time spent in the woods bow hunting, he describes the ways he still feels connected to her. After her death, Jeremy's connection to nature and hunting became a foundation for staying close with his mom. From finding a deer skull to a particularly challenging hunt, he felt her presence and support come through. Jeremy also turned to reconnecting with his Filipino heritage, joining a grief group, and moving to be closer to family as ways to cope with the loss. At the heart of this conversation is the idea of ongoing connection - how relationships with people who have died can continue and evolve over time. Note for listeners: This episode includes non-graphic references to bow hunting and the death of an animal. Please take care while listening. read more...