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Sibling Loss, Organ Donation & a Sister's Grief

The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss

Chapters
0:00
Intro
1:56
About Josh
4:42
Kelly & Josh’s Adult Sibling Relationship
7:19
Losing Josh
10:23
Dead Brother Week
14:27
The Honor Walk
15:48
Going Back to Work
21:19
Anniversaries
22:04
Caring for Siblings, Kids, & Parents: Delaying Her own Grief
26:40
Out-of-Order loss
27:30
What Helped in Early Grief
30:35
Support Now
31:51
The Value of Therapy
35:43
What Kelly Wishes She Knew Before
36:34
The Sibling Loss Club
37:35
Stories of Josh
39:00
Kelly & Kate’s Different Experiences of Josh
41:38
Kelly’s Thoughts on Sibling Loss
44:21
Favorite Memories
53:22
Josh Taking Care of Others Posthumously
The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss
Sibling Loss, Organ Donation & a Sister's Grief
Dec 06, 2023 Episode 27
Dr. Angela Dean / Kelly Stiffler

Sibling Loss and Organ Donation: A Conversation with Kelly Stiffler

In this episode, Dr. Dean speaks with Kelly Stiffler about losing her younger brother, Josh, from a seizure. Josh was an organ donor and Kelly shares how this loss has affected her and the family.  We also explore how different roles and relationships mean grieving the same person differently, including how she is grieving differently from her sister, Kate who we heard from in the first episode of this season.

Dr. Dean and Kelly discuss how therapy can be a valuable resource to process sibling loss and a safe and supportive space to talk about her grief. They also discuss the physical symptoms of grief, emotional exhaustion, and brain fog.

To learn more about organ and tissue donation and to become a donor, please see:

In the US:
1. Donate Life America: https://donatelife.net

2. United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) - https://unos.org/transplant/facts/

For a list of organ donation organizations and informationby regions in the world, please see https://tts.org/isodp-resources/isodp-organ-donation-societies

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Support the show

If you would like more information or to share your own sibling loss story, please contact Dr. Angela Dean at contact@thebrokenpack.com or go to our website, thebrokenpack.com.

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Thank you!
Angela M. Dean, PsyD, FT, GTMR

Credits:
The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss  is produced by Not Done Here Media

"If Tomorrow Starts Without Me" © ℗ 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
     Performed by Fuji Sounds (feat. Joe Mylward)
     Written by Joe Mylward and Brian Dean
     Licensed for use to The Broken Pack
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