A GRANDMOTHER whose grandson died when he was just five-months-old has written a book to support other grandparents through bereavement.

Ann Arnold’s grandson George Jones died in February 2017.

George had been born with his organs growing outside his body and despite successful surgery to put them back, he later died in hospital.

A year after his death. Ann’s son-in-law and George’s father, Ashley, died.

Ashley was diagnosed with bowel and liver cancer and died at St Helena Hospice, aged 31.

Ann, from Halstead, received bereavement counselling from St Helena Hospice but felt there was little outside support for grandparents.

She said: “I was and still do struggle with losing George. Ashley was looked after at St Helena and I had bereavement counselling for George through St Helena.

“I used to write things down in my sessions for George and my counsellor said I had a flare for it.”

From here she turned her thoughts into a book entitled Forgotten Grief: A Grandmother’s Struggle to Cope After the loss of her Grandson.

She was supporting her daughter and George’s mum, Victoria, while dealing with her own grief.

She said: “There are some poems at the end which are dedicated to George.

“Personally unless you have experienced, it you won’t know, but you are actually double grieving as a grandparent as I was grieving for Victoria, as well as for George.

Halstead Gazette:

“I don’t think people appreciate this and the support wasn’t there.

“The book is about what we went through and about raising awareness of support for grandparents and giving comfort to others.”

She feels more support groups are needed for grandparents. She said: “The bereavement team was fantastic, there is a lot of outside support for parents but nothing there for grandparents.

“There are no groups in this area and you are holding all those emotions in.”

Ann, who works as a nurse in Coggeshall, said: “It took up all my spare time but writing the book was like counselling in itself.

“East Anglian Children’s Hospices will be using the book as well as St Helena.”

The book is available to buy on the Amazon website.