A safe space to share feelings and receive mutual support
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 9, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Facilitator Kimberly Brody-Muckenfuss, BSN, RN, at 856-488-6680 (day); 609-519-3113 (evening); or via k.brody-muckenfuss@kennedyhealth.org.
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, Kim 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," she said. "I am honored to be able to help others who find themselves facing this particular heartache."
The support group schedule is as follows:
Kennedy University Hospital - Stratford (starting May 9)
- In the private dining room on the second Tuesday of each month from 6 to 9 p.m.
Kennedy University Hospital - Washington Township (starting May 16)
- In the first floor classroom on the third Tuesday of each month from 6 to 9 p.m.
Kennedy University Hospital - Cherry Hill (starting Sept. 5)
- In the private dining room on the first Tuesday of each month from 6 to 9 p.m.
This item submitted by Nicole Pensiero for Kennedy Health.