Alex McTaggart Memorial & Family Support Fund
Donation protected
As many of you will already know, our dear friends Anne and Keith McTaggart and their older son Ben, tragically lost Alex, their younger son and brother, to suicide, on 10 June 2019. He was just 15 years old. Anne subsequently lost her father, Alex’s grandfather, the following weekend.
Our local GP, Dr. Cunning, recently told me that in many older, wiser communities, after a loss such as this, the immediate family would be looked after completely by their family, friends and neighbours for at least a year, sometimes two. Their work load would be removed from their shoulders and their housework and cooking would be done for them so that they could focus, exclusively, on the serious business of grieving properly and over time, eventually learning to move forward and live again.
Sadly, these days, this is not an option open to us. The reality of Anne and Keith’s situation is that they have already been forced to continue working to try and keep their small business afloat in these difficult times, despite being almost paralyzed by grief and the practical and financial realities of dealing with death.
We cannot do their jobs for them, nor can we invade their house and take over their lives but there is a way we can help. Put bluntly, that is by contributing money!
Donating to this family will quite simply buy them some space to breathe – it will help ease the strain of the funeral costs as well as enabling them to pay some bills or employ someone to help them with the business. It will certainly enable them to take some time off and get away together to grieve and remember their loved ones in private.
Every little bit will help so please, chip in whatever you can, no matter how big or small. No one should have to deal with the death of their child and of course money will not bring Alex back but it will certainly give Anne and Keith the time and space that they need and deserve, to begin re-building their lives.
Please help us to help them.
Thank you.
Our local GP, Dr. Cunning, recently told me that in many older, wiser communities, after a loss such as this, the immediate family would be looked after completely by their family, friends and neighbours for at least a year, sometimes two. Their work load would be removed from their shoulders and their housework and cooking would be done for them so that they could focus, exclusively, on the serious business of grieving properly and over time, eventually learning to move forward and live again.
Sadly, these days, this is not an option open to us. The reality of Anne and Keith’s situation is that they have already been forced to continue working to try and keep their small business afloat in these difficult times, despite being almost paralyzed by grief and the practical and financial realities of dealing with death.
We cannot do their jobs for them, nor can we invade their house and take over their lives but there is a way we can help. Put bluntly, that is by contributing money!
Donating to this family will quite simply buy them some space to breathe – it will help ease the strain of the funeral costs as well as enabling them to pay some bills or employ someone to help them with the business. It will certainly enable them to take some time off and get away together to grieve and remember their loved ones in private.
Every little bit will help so please, chip in whatever you can, no matter how big or small. No one should have to deal with the death of their child and of course money will not bring Alex back but it will certainly give Anne and Keith the time and space that they need and deserve, to begin re-building their lives.
Please help us to help them.
Thank you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Claire Palmer
Organizer
Bragg Creek, AB
Anne McTaggart
Beneficiary