Surviving Sibling, mom, motivational coach
I'm Emily, a 44 year old surviving sibling who lost her only brother 6 years ago in the craziest way... an untreated ear infection that infected his brain stem and killed him. The doctors said it was a once in a lifetime incident that they would probably never see again.
I spent the first year or two after his death taking care of everyone else, making sure they were okay and worrying about their grief. I suffered in silence, hiding my grief behind advocacy and building my brother’s legacy. No one asked how I was doing because I was projecting a strong image. I was the perfect mother, the perfect daughter, the perfect friend...
I spent the next 2 years doing everything but living - I was mearly existing.
And then my brother came to me in a dream and reminded me that I was going to die one day and that this all ends and that I really did want to live. And he reminded me that he lived his life fully and in a big way and that I should live my life too. And that's what I'm doing now. And I'm trying to help other people do the same.
On Episode 10 of Season 9 of The Surviving Siblings Podcast®, host Maya Roffler is joined by Emily O'Brien, a surviving sibling, who shares the story of losing her brother Pete to a rare and devastating case of encephalitis t...