Father's Day and living with grief

photo cred: Maggie Knaus

Like any other special day in the year, Father’s Day can be both happy and terribly sad for many people. Losing one’s dad, husband or child can make this day very difficult to navigate alone. 

Toronto resident Janet Fanaki lost her 51 year old husband Adam to brain cancer in 2020. Married for 21 years and the father to her two children Isobel and Sam, Father’s Day continues to be a tricky one for her to navigate. 

“The first year without him was really hard,” she says. “The kids and I have had to learn to manage the special days of the year in new ways.”

Some tips that she shares:

• Start a new tradition that still pays homage to the departed like enjoying in his favourite meal and raising a glass in his honour that day
• Practice self-care for the day - do what feels right
• Tap into virtual communities like The Confetti Project who is holding a ‘Grief As Celebration’ event
• For friends looking to help, offer to do a Zoom call together or stop-by to spend time together 

​Janet Fanaki is the creator and host of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast where she shares conversations with regular people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major challenge and found a purpose from it to help others be resilient too. 
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To interview Janet, contact her at [email protected] or (416) 271-7887.