May 1, 2000
Hillcrest program helps children
live through death of loved ones
___WACO--Seventh grade is a difficult time of adjustment for many people, but not for 12-year-old Kevin Grusendorf of H.P. Miles Middle School in Waco. At the beginning of this year, he plunged himself into symphonic band, took on the challenge of honors mathand science and played left tackle and guard for the La Vega Pirates.
KEVIN GRUSENDORF
___Adjusting to the fast-paced world of middle school was no problem for him; but he had to adjust to something over the past year that not many other people his age have faced.
___Last June 12, Grusendorf's best friend since birth, Charlie Grund, was diagnosed with meningitis and died within 24 hours.
___"He was like a brother to me," Grusendorf said. "He was my friend through rough and calm. When the doctors were about to cut off life support, I just stayed there with him and patted his hand until his heart stopped beating."
___He later was an honorary pall bearer at his friend's funeral.
___"It was hard to go back to school in the fall with everyone talking about it," Grusendorf explained. That's when one of the counselors at H.P. Miles Middle School suggested Jamie's Place, a grief support group for children ages 5 to 18 at Hillcrest Community Hospice, a ministry affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___At Jamie's Place, Grusendorf learned how to deal with the loss of his best friend through activities like making a collage with things that reminded him of Charlie, or decorating a candle that is lit whenever Grusendorf is thinking of him.
___"The program gave me peace of mind," said Joetta Grusendorf, Kevin's mother. "Kids are brave sometimes just so they won't upset adults. I was glad to know he wasn't just holding it all in. Jamie's Place helped Kevin open up."
___"Sharing your emotions and ways to cope with them is one of the main topics at Jamie's Place," said Melissa Green, bereavement coordinator at Hillcrest Community Hospice. "We provide a safe place for children to express their feelings and realize there are others going through the same experiences they are."
___Jamie's Place grief groups are offered at Hillcrest Community Hospice as well as in the school setting. The programs are offered free of charge as an opportunity for children to learn about their sadness and talk about the fears and concerns that accompany the death of a parent, grandparent, sibling or loved one.
___While adjusting to Charlie's death has been a difficult experience for Grusendorf and his family, he has done things to help them all through it. Making a Halloween jack o'lantern for Charlie, writing stories and poems about him and compiling a photo album have been good ways to grieve.
___"You learn that it's going to be OK," he said. "After a while, you are able to take time and remember."
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