A group of survivors, who have met the challenge of tragedy in their own families and fashioned fulfilling lives, speak now. They offer their insights and suggestions for dealing with grief and gaining help to others facing the pain and adversities of a parent dying by his or her own hand.
Voices of Strength: Sons and Daughters of Suicide Speak Out by Judy Zionts Fox, RN, LSW, and Mia Roldan, (New Horizon Press, September 2008) provides comfort to survivors struggling with the difficulty to cope. Loss and painful memories often silence us into bottling up our thoughts and feelings. Fox and Roldan present the words and thoughts of heroic survivors who offer productive ways of release and healthy manners to heal. The book covers the effects on sons and daughters who have lost their parents while they were babies and children as well as adults – the youngest being seven months old up to the oldest, of fifty-three years of age.
The authors, themselves both survivors of parental suicide, met with and surveyed survivors to hear their reactions, suggestions and solutions for others directly affected and also to educate people on how to handle these tragic circumstances. Clergymen, therapists and even criminal investigators reveal what causes or concerns lead a parent to commit suicide. In addition, relatives, friends and coworkers of survivors are asked what they can do to help in the aftermath of such an event, how to handle the situation practically and how to be a positive listener.
The loss of a parent and the suicide of a mother, father or both, leaves internal scars, but Fox and Roldan reveal that these can heal with sensitive help, time and support. Voices of Strength: Sons and Daughters of Suicide Speak Out (New Horizon Press, September 2008) by Judy Zionts Fox, RN, LSW, and Mia Roldan, show how to begin curing the physical, mental and emotional trauma of parental suicide. The recovery process is a long road and may often leave an individual feeling silent and solitary – but Judy Zionts Fox and Mia Roldan help other survivors of parent suicide in need to find their voices and move forward.
About the Authors
Judy Zionts Fox, RN, LSW is a registered nurse and social worker with experience in psychiatric nursing. She has a BA in Social Work from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas and an RN from Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her mother committed suicide when Judy was seven weeks old. She is married with four daughters, has eleven grandchildren and resides in Austin, Texas.
Mia Roldan is an elementary Special Education Teacher in Austin, Texas. She is also certified in general education, ESL, and is a National Board Certified Exceptional Needs Specialist Teacher. She is currently studying for a master's degree in Social Work at the University of Texas in Austin. Her mother committed suicide when she was twelve years old. She is married, the mother of two children, and resides in Austin, Texas.
