In this episode of The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss, Dr. Angela Dean talks with surviving sibling Dr. Heidi Horsley. Heidi is Scott's big sister. Scott died about 40 years ago in a car accident at 17, alongside their 17-year-old cousin Matthew. Heidi is a licensed psychologist, an adjunct professor at Columbia University, and the co-founder, with her mother, of the Open to Hope Foundation.

Together they talk about the difference between sibling loss and parent loss, finding hope after a sudden death, and the way sibling loss reshapes identity, family roles, and decisions about the future.

In this episode you will:

Hear Dr. Heidi Horsley's story of losing her younger brother Scott and her cousin Matthew, and the night the call came.
Listen to hear how the devastating loss changed her fundamentally and how how others reacted.
Learn why sibling loss is treated differently than parent loss and child loss, how family identity gets rewritten, and how purpose can emerge slowly after sudden death.
Be inspired by the community Dr. Horsley has built for other bereaved siblings, and the work she has carried out in Scott's memory for four decades.
Find hope in the kind of relationship Dr. Dean and Dr. Horsley describe in the episode, between siblings further along in grief and those still in early loss.

Connect with Dr. Heidi Horsley: Open to Hope

Content warning: This episode discusses sudden death and a fatal car accident.

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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

🐺Tony's Little Sister

Credits:

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

IF TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME
Written by Joe Mylward and Brian Dean
Performed by Fuji Sounds featuring Joe Mylward
Courtesy of Not Done Here Records
Licensed for use by The Broken Pack

Full song: https://fujisounds.music