Carla, mother of Nathan, Audrey, and Talia (died at 23 months from infantile Tay-Sachs) and her mother Robin in conversation about their mother-daughter relationship in the face of Talia's diagnosis and illness.
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A grandmother on her daughter: “She said, ‘don’t cry in front of me, ever.”
My mother: "The biggest support she gave me was tracking me from afar."
“I was just a grandmother.”
Going to the affected families conference: "I needed my mom nearby."
“I learned you can’t take care of the future by planning.”
Delivering the diagnosis to her mother: “I wanted to control the blast because I was the epicenter.”
"I think we all work best when we don’t expect each other to change the core of who we are.”
A mom - "My mom initiated conversations about plans for arrangements after the death."
Mom and Grandmother: My mom had no opinion on my daughter’s medical care.
Mother and Grandmother: How we each thought about prayer.
Anniversary/Special Days - “Sometimes I want her acknowledged, to share, sometimes I don’t.”
The other grandparents – “We were shared equals.”
A mom on finding space for other people’s joy.
Mom to Grandma “I remember us talking about how you were stronger than I was giving you credit for.”
Writing to process for both mom and grandmother: Observing the experience; Preserving the memories
A mom on how having two healthy older children helped her get through.