In this episode of The Broken Pack: Stories of Sibling Loss, Dr. Dean talks with surviving sibling Anne Pinkerton, author of Were You Close? A Sister's Quest to Know the Brother She Lost. Anne's brother David, twelve years her senior and an elite athlete and radiologist, died suddenly in 2008 after falling while hiking a 14er in the Colorado mountains. More than seventeen years later, Anne shares how losing the big brother she worshipped reshaped her understanding of sibling loss, continuing bonds, and the power of writing through grief.

Anne and Dr. Dean unpack the question that gives the book its title, "Were you close?" as well as why it's far too blunt a tool for the complexity of any relationship. They talk about the hierarchy of grief that pushes surviving siblings to the margins, the disorienting limbo of those first days, the strangeness of out-aging an older brother, the small signs Anne takes as a hello from David, and how a bereavement writing group became an MFA and, eventually, a published memoir.

In this episode you will:

Hear Anne's story of losing David and what it means to be a surviving sibling nearly two decades on.
Learn why "Were you close?" and questions like it can leave grieving siblings feeling unseen
Be reminded that there's no timeline for grief and how writing through grief aids memories
Explore how joy and gratitude can grow alongside the loss.

Connect with Anne Pinkerton:

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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