Kennedy Nurse who suffered loss of her child to facilitate program
Kennedy Health is offering a new, professionally facilitated support group for parents who have lost a child. The group will provide a safe space to share feelings, receive mutual support and learn about ways to help manage heartache.
The support group, which begins Tuesday, May 16, is free and open to the public. Meetings will be held at Kennedy University Hospital’s first floor classroom, every third Tuesday of the month from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Facilitator Kimberly Brody-Muckenfuss, a longtime Kennedy Health nurse, decided to start the support group more than a year after suffering a personal tragedy — her 14-year-old son, Austin, was killed in November 2015 while crossing a road in Glassboro. A popular ninth grader and the youngest of five boys — his mother and his father each brought two sons into their marriage, and considered Austin the “glue” that brought all the boys together. While Austin’s death left his family and friends devastated, Brody-Muckenfuss believes there is a way out of the darkness for families like hers who have lost a child: by connecting and sharing with others.
“This is a way for me to give back and honor Austin at the same time,” Brody-Muckenfuss said. “I am honored to be able to help others who find themselves facing this particular heartache.”
For more information, contact Brody-Muckenfuss at (856) 488–6680 or (609) 519–3113, or email k.brody-muckenfuss@kennedyhealth.org.
