My name is Karishma & I started attending TNN Good Grief peer support groups back in November, 2023.

I was born in Hong Kong & traveled most of my childhood years with my parents.

I lived in Dubai, Thailand, New York, Singapore, New Zealand to name a few but Hong Kong was always home for us

I moved to New York in 2001 to pursue further studies where I received a double masters in Healthcare & I worked for several years in a hospital right in New York City, overseeing quality assurance in Trauma.

I have two older brothers, one in The UK & Boston. We grew up in a household where we spent most of our free time doing volunteer work, which led me to choosing ‘healthcare’ as my career path.

After having lived in New York for 16 years, the next thing I wanted to accomplish was to look after my parents. I moved back to Hong Kong in 2017, where my parents both lived after retirement.

Who are you grieving:

My beloved mother & father.

In 2013, my father was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition, known as Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a disorder that causes difficulty with balance, vision, speech & movement.

My father passed away in 2021.

In 2023, my mother passed away unexpectedly from sepsis after successfully undergoing pancreatic surgery.

Grieving is an incredibly hard feeling to describe & I wanted to understand it better.

I had so many questions that were left unanswered.

I allowed myself to ‘feel the feels’ by going on hikes, spending time with friends & family. On my long hikes I started to listen to music that reminded me of my parents & sang on the top of my lungs

A few short months after my mother’s passing, a dear friend brought to my attention that grief peer support groups were being offered in Hong Kong, otherwise known as The New Normal.

After I left my first session, I learnt if you have lost a loved one, whether it is in friendship, a relationship or a passing of a beloved one– ‘you are not alone’.

The TNN meeting helped me gain clarity about how I was feeling. After attending the meetings, I learnt how to gently embrace my feelings of grief.

Attendees are of all different backgrounds & shared their very own stories in a safe, judgment free ‘zone’.

Sometimes we share a little comedy about ourselves. For some, it can take time to build up courage to speak, like myself but I didn’t in any way feel pressured to share right away.

I was eager to share, but also felt a lump in my throat and was afraid that if I spoke, I would cry so hard. However, I spoke finally and allowed my tears to fall.

What I remember so clearly was the reassurance that I received from the hosts & others who were attending.

It is okay to feel vulnerable & that’s when I knew I was in the right place. It made sense.

It made sense for me to speak to others who can relate to how I was feeling but it doesn’t just stop there. I left the meetings, with a sense of growth.

I learnt how to cope with grief, rather than ‘having’ to just accept the loss of my parents. What was also important to me is that I left the meetings knowing that I gave the other attendees encouragement & hope just the way they did for me & well, that was a double whammy for me. That is when I decided to become a host.

I feel exceptionally lucky to have found TNN & be given this opportunity to attend & host the meetings. It’s been life changing, to say the least. It is certainly rewarding.

We have collaborated with other organizations to raise awareness and it’s a great feeling to see the domino effect of how many people one person can make in someone else’s life by just being present.