My 5 1/2-month-old son, Sasha, died in August of 1991. Someone at Weight Watchers, after seeing how devastated I was, told me about HAND of the Peninsula. I started going the very next Wednesday. I attended bimonthly meetings for 1 1/2 years and joined the volunteer committee.

I took the support group facilitator training class and began to facilitate meetings. When I became pregnant with my third son, I began facilitating and gaining support from HAND’s subsequent pregnancy support group.

It’s been 10 years now since Sasha died and, in many ways, I have gained so much from HAND and hopefully given back to HAND over the years. Now I continue to support HAND of the Peninsula both financially and with my commitment to the board.

HAND was indispensable to me during those horrible first few months and years following our son’s death. I have wanted to give back what was given to me. I also feel that HAND of the Peninsula is still one of the few groups where I can celebrate my son’s short life and people don’t think I am crazy after all these years.

Caryn Goldman,
HAND of the Peninsula board member