Meet Marie Brandon, Gloves for Grief Board Member

I have called Orange County, California home since moving here in 1995 by way of Ohio and Colorado. I am a proud mother of two beautiful daughters, Emma and Isabella, here on Earth, and one amazing son, Jacob, in heaven. After the birth of my first child, I realized my passion was to become a registered nurse, and returned to school to obtain my Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

I am no stranger to grief and loss. As a child, my first experience of loss was the death of my grandparents. As an adult with a family of my own, I was blindsided by the loss of my mother on June 14, 2018 only days after a stage four cancer diagnosis. As a Neonatal ICU nurse of 20 years, I have seen more than my fair share of grief. I have sat with parents as they hear news that their child’s impairments will alter the future they envisioned. I have been by their side as they’ve had to make the unimaginable decision to withdraw life support. I have cried with mothers, trying to make sense of the inconceivable after their baby’s last breath. But none of these experiences prepared me for the death of my son. 

Jacob was only 22 years old, two months shy of his 23rd birthday, when he died riding his motorcycle home from work on April 30, 2023. That day so vivid in my memory. The phone call, the drive to the hospital praying he would still be alive when I arrived, my screams echoing as the doctor delivered the news that permanently altered my life forever. I relive that day every time I drive to work and walk into the same hospital where his heart beat for the last time. I use to think I knew what my patients’ parents were feeling because I have children. I realize now I had no idea the immense pain.

To survive the death of your child goes against the natural order. It is known as Vilomah. It tears a hole so big in the heart it extends into every fiber of your being, into every corner of your world. It made me question every belief I ever held. This is where Gloves for Grief came in. 

My eldest daughter Emma brought me to a Belle Donne event at Saddleback Church for Mother’s Day in May of 2023, two weeks after my son’s death. There is where I heard Terra‘s story and first learned about Gloves for Grief. I didn’t know it at the time, but God was building a safe place for me when I was ready. Fast forward six months to Veterans Day 2023, and I attended my first Gloves for Grief event. Since then, I have attended events either as a participant, a volunteer, or both. 

There is an unhealthy stigma surrounding death and grief. Well-meaning people, friends, even family members often don’t know what to say or do. Society’s expectations for the grieving to return to daily life is often unrealistic. And no two losses are the same which makes everyone’s journey unique and often lonely. Gloves for Grief is a safe space for me to grieve, heal, and commune with people who understand.

I am beyond honored to be a board member of an organization that is changing the way we look at grief and developing revolutionary ways of finding purpose in our pain.