Is it normal to mourn the death of someone you've never met?

[lightningandsnow]

No... not George Carlin, in case that's what you were thinking.

As you might know, I read a lot of the blogs of parents of children with life-threatening illnesses. I sign the guestbooks and stuff...just to cheer them up, I suppose. I don't know why I do it, since it's infinitely depressing, but I do it anyway.

There was one girl, about my age, whose mother's blog I followed since last August or so. She had survived three kinds of cancer...had chemo, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant... and yet she seemed to be doing surprisingly well. I checked that blog quite frequently. I went away this weekend, but I checked the site before I left, and she seemed to be doing well...feeling a little sick, but nothing serious.

When I came back yesterday, I heard that she passed away at 9:30 A.M. yesterday morning.

I'm in shock right now...and heartbroken...even though I never met her.

R.I.P Paige Haney

1991-2008

:cry:

(Please, go hug your kids. Or your parents. Or your friends.)

[bertha katzenengel]

1. Sure it is.

:hug:

[Phillycat]

2. I think it means you're human.

:hug:

[DarkTirade]

3. It's someone who had meaning to you.

:hug:

[Shakespeare]

4. Of course it's normal. Many of us here mourned the death of khephra when he died...

...even though we'd never met him. He was definitely a friend, definitely a part of our lives. I still miss him.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. It shows that you have great compassion.

I'm currently following two children of friends of mine on Caring Bridge. One is awaiting a kidney transplant and the other has brain cancer.

RIP Paige.

[Eurobabe]

6. Of course it is normal

Empathy is what makes us human. :hug:

[ThomCat]

7. Yes, that's normal. And it shows that you have empathy

and compassion. :hug:

I hope you let the mother know that you have been following her blog and you send your sincere condolences. She would probably appreciate that. If there is an address where you can send flowers, sending a small arrangement would be a very nice touch.