Surviving a Hero
A Therapist Looks At Family Loss
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
I never met my paternal grandfather. He was a New York City Fireman and was
killed in the line of duty in a Hunts Point fire eighteen years before my
birth. I never met my maternal
grandfather either. He also was in the
FDNY, but survived to retire. He died
three years before I was born.
I did get to meet my father, though. Like the rest of the males in the family, he
too worked for the Fire Department of the City of New York. He died in a Bronx fire when I was three
years old with five of his comrades.
Many years have passed since that happened. In my family, lives have been lived and
lost, and had my father survived he would have had quite a time keeping up with
his four children and later, his eleven grandchildren. He would have had plenty of advice, I’m
sure, for my own son who became a soldier and police officer. I can imagine my father regaling him with
his own war stories over some drinks at a bar, tapping the back of the barstool
as he did (for emphasis), and laughing uproariously at his own jokes. He would have won their love and earned
their respect. He was just that kind of
guy-- Had he lived.
I can see him looking very proud at the graduations
of his children, and maybe even making a sideways comment about my choice to
become a psychologist. He would have
believed that there was nothing that couldn’t be solved by either a big swat or
a bigger laugh. That’s the way he was.
. . .Had he lived.
But, he didn’t make it that far. He died at the age of forty-one, and we have
never stopped missing him. With all his
flaws, he was our hero.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
SURVIVING A HERO: A THERAPIST LOOKS AT FAMILY LOSS
is a first of its kind. It is written by Dr. Catherine Carroll-Parker who
herself lost a loved one who perished while trying to save other lives. Using
her own personal story, Dr. Parker offers counsel to anyone who has ever
suffered tragedy of this magnitude. This book goes beyond the usual self-help
manual. Her own struggle is documented as she seeks to resolve her questions
and find personal growth. It is a study in courage and compassion and wisdom.
For anyone that has ever had to process tragedies such as 9-11, war or high
danger occupations, this book will touch your heart and provide direction. A
must-read in our uncertain times. You will meet heroes, their loved ones and
yourself in the stories. You will laugh and cry and in the end, you will see
things differently.
About the Author
Dr. Catherine Carroll-Parker is a survivor of a
hero. She is also a therapist, educator and conference speaker who specializes
in Dysfunctional Families. With years of professional experience in individual
and family counseling, she tells her personal story of coping with sudden loss
and offers help to anyone that has ever been touched by this type of tragedy.
It is written from the heart, and it is written from experience to all of us
that ever had to process things such as 9-11, war or high danger occupations.
Catherine has two grown children and lives in
Maryland with her husband, Dan.