About Core Community

CORe is a peer-support group of bereaved parents that meets online and in person. Our members losses occurred from 20 months to 23 years ago. We do not discriminate on any grounds, especially not the cause of death of a child. It is a non-judgemental space that offers time, understanding and compassion.

In the Circle of Remembrance, we remember:

The joy and the beauty of our children.
The innate value of our own lives.
Grace, that holds us at all times.

Story of Sangeeta and Simon’s journey

Saagar Naresh was a bright young man of twenty. Sadly, he was diagnosed with a serious mental illness in the summer of 2014. By autumn the same year, he was dead. Despite his loving family, his mother being a doctor and him being under medical care in the UK, this tragedy could not be averted.

To process Saagar’s sudden, violent death and to immortalise him in her own way, his mother, Sangeeta wrote a daily blog (www.kidsaregifts.org) which was widely read across the globe. She received incredible understanding and support from her colleagues, friends and family, especially from her husband Simon. She had never needed more support in her life.

In January 2021, a few bereaved mums and dads contacted her from the United States of America through her blog. They had been grieving in isolation and needed to connect with other parents. We all came together organically having found each other across continents. Sangeeta and Simon started hosting meetings on Zoom every other weekend for an hour and a half. Over time members developed a strong sense of belonging and became great sources of strength for one another.

As a community of bereaved parents, we now feel able to reach out to other parents who might be alone in their grief. We have exploratory, healing and empowering conversations that deepen our friendships and the understanding of our unique predicament that helps us grow, learn and unlearn together.

Dr Sangeeta Mahajan

Certified Grief Educator, Mental health activist and advocate

Sangeeta’s adlolescent son, Saagar died from a brief but serious illness. She believes that finding understanding and shared experiences amongst peers promotes growth and empowerment, even through deep sorrow.

www.sangeetamahajan.org

Goals & purpose

Research has shown that parents who have not worked through their grief are at increased risk of long-term mental and physical health problems, higher need for medical attention and increased sick leave.

Our goal is that parents become aware of their increased vulnerability and accordingly, take better care of themselves by finding the support they need.

Testimonials

Sangeeta is kind, empathetic and professional. We explored some difficult matters related to my bereavement which constantly troubled me. Sangeeta offered some fantastically helpful insights. This helped me find more peace and acceptance to cope with this tough journey. Having one to one sessions with Sangeeta has helped me a lot to find more optimism, peace and hope.

Anju: For 1-to-1

I first joined Sangeeta and Simon’s Core (Circle of Remembrance) group around 18 months ago. I was eager to join a new group as I had tried some of the other support groups out there and personally had not found them helpful.

I was welcomed so warmly at my first session. I knew quite soon this was the group I wanted and had been looking for!

This group has certainly been a lifeline to me. Every 2 weeks on Wednesdays at 5.00pm (without fail) we meet on Zoom. Sangeeta and Simon always plan a topic to discuss. This is normally for us to share a little piece about our own child who we have lost. It can be, for example talking about holidays we have been on with our children or what their favourite hobby or what they enjoyed doing. I find it therapeutic to talk happy memories of my beloved daughter,Serena. Sangeeta also holds a relaxation session within the group of about 10 minutes which is lovely and calming. I find it very relaxing. We then breakout into smaller groups of about 2 or 3 where we can have more intimate discussions.

I really do look forward to these meetings and feel much better for sharing my thoughts and feelings with the other lovely parents who I have got to know well. There is no judgement at all, no telling you what you should or shouldn’t do or how to feel. Everyone has great compassion and understanding of all we go through when we lose our precious, beloved sons or daughters. Being able to talk to like-minded people and share the happy times and lovely memories of our children is such a blessing. We give each other space to talk (if you want to) and feel listened to without interruption.

I honestly don’t know how I would have coped having not met Sangeeta and Simon at a TCF retreat. It was there that I was invited to join the Core group and my life is richer to be friends with everyone on the group. We have all met up at a weekend retreat together which was awesome but that’s another story for another day lol.

Love and hugs, Bernadine (mother of Serena)

Bernadine on CORe Groups

“As a couple we have benefitted greatly from joining CORE. It is the only place we can talk about our loss with people who fully understand and empathise. Even though we lost Josh seven years ago it is still precious to have a safe space to talk about him with our own “tribe” who actively listen and don’t judge. It is also a privilege to companion and support others with similar stories and is mutually beneficial.”

Andre’ and Susie – on being a part of CORe as a couple.

I attended my first Retreat in June 2024. Having attended CORe for over two years online it was such an amazing experience to meet all the members in person for the first time and spend the weekend with people who have become such dear friends. Time spent sharing our precious children was the greatest gift and hearing more about them, seeing photos and treasured possessions bought us all closer if that is even possible.

The weekend was so well planned and the hospitality was so wonderful – I felt so welcome and nothing was too much for our hosts. I felt a real sense of peace and belonging. 

I took so much from my time at the Retreat – every morning I practice the breathing techniques, being mindful throughout the day but mostly my time with those who I could really connect and I didn’t need to wear my brave face – being in the moment is just so important. I felt like not only was I honouring the memory of my son Jake but also myself. I am so looking forward to future Retreats and am so very glad I got to do this for the first time. 

Justine Wood – Jake’s Ma 

Justine – on CORe Retreats

I’m grateful for all the friends I’ve met through CORe. Grief can be such a painful and lonely experience for those of us who have lost children. I think that having friends to talk to about my son has been a blessing to me. When my 13 year old son passed away in a water accident I was devastated! Those first few days were filled with friends and family who seemed to rally around me with love and support.

But after the funeral was over and the last card and casserole dish was delivered, it seemed as if the world just continued on without us. To everyone else, it was as if nothing happened. But of course for me, the agony and heartache had just begun! That’s why having the support of other bereaved parents has been so important to me. Having people in my life who understand this arduous journey does not “fix” my grief or magically heal my brokenness. However, CORe does give me a safe place to mourn my son as well as a safe place to share all the love and happy memories I have of him. My son’s name was Reed. He lived and laughed and played. In his short life he made a big impact on so many people. He mattered! He still matters! And he always will. CORe is a place where I can speak his name and feel the love and support of friends who truly understand.

Jason Morgan (Father of Reed- forever 13)

A year ago when I chatted with Sangeeta about the possibility of forming a grief group, Circle of Remembrance (CORe), I never thought we would have 30+ participants. Sangeeta is an example that there is “post traumatic growth” after losing her son, Sagaar, to suicide. She turns her cauldron of pain and grief into purpose by helping other grieving parents.

Through CORe, I connect with some amazing compassionate, empathetic, and kindhearted grieving parents from three different continents. CORe provides the opportunity to share/talk about my love for my son and that his life matters. That’s is healing and poignant. I am blessed to have met Sangeeta and the authentic grief format she uses for CORe. It is powerful, therapeutic, and nurturing. The focus is on embracing the love that exists for my son, the universe, and myself. After all, love never dies and grief is love.

Chano

I have been part of CoRE since its very first meeting in Jan 2021. Sangeeta had been recommended to me by another bereaved mother after my only child 19yr old Shuggie passed away on July 1st 2020. After our very first zoom I was immediately touched by the empathy and compassion that Sangeeta radiated so proficiently. Her gentle voice was full of wisdom and transparency, sharing coping skills and acknowledging how painful child loss is.

As a bereaved parent herself she is truly inspirational in coaching how to revert the pain and anguish into healing and growing around the loss. The biweekly 90min Saturday morning Zoom meetings have quickly becoming an integral part of my grief journey. Each meeting is allocated a point of discussion there is no mandatory participation, just being present is encouraged. I immediately feel the trust and sacredness that the group holds almost like I am being cradled. I am comforted knowing that whatever I share is being held in a safe space of nonjudgement and confidence. I enjoy the flexibility of the group and find that sometimes when other parents speak it triggers an automatic reflex to interact and contribute myself. The golden nuggets of wisdom are shared in the form of poems, mindfulness quotes or strategic coping mechanisms all prepared in a beautiful easily digestible PowerPoint presentation by Sangeeta. The literature provided is secular and varied in its scope of being relatable, informative, and applicable. The option of break out rooms are a gift as are the guided mediations at the end. There are very few resources out there for bereaved parents and sometimes with such loss it’s difficult to navigate and have the bandwidth to seek out what can help move you through the pain it can feel like walking through treacle. Suddenly what made sense no longer does, the loss is debilitating, and you can be left feeling so empty. All the days roll into one and it can be hard to see light through the darkness. CoRE has been my gentle reminder that I still exist, and that time has not stopped. It has made me smile and find pockets of joy when I imagined never seeing my smile again. It has opened a window to newfound friends with whom you feel open enough to share any deep-rooted thought, cry or pain. It has given me a glimmer of hope and optimism that it is possible to exist in this world after such a personal earth-shattering experience and help find some peace and solace with the practical tools shared. I get to network with a tribe of “like losses” and there is something so endearing about all the people we meet in the group. CoRE empowers me to see a spectrum of color at a time when everything seems so grey in the world without my sweet Shuggie. I am so grateful to be part of such a tribe that helps keep me upright on my hardest days.

Prithi (Shuggie’s Mum forever 19yr)