Grieving Mother Offers Support to Others Coping with Loss

A priest in the Edmonton diocese is speaking out about the need for comprehensive care and support for families affected by mental illness, addictions and homelessness. 

“My hope in agreeing to this article: Edmonton Journal, “'Our society is not stepping up': Mom of daughter struggling with homelessness speaks out,”  is to raise awareness of the need for legislation change, and options for involuntary hospitalisation for families in complex situations with children under 18,” says the Rev. Lisa Wojna, who is rector of St. George’s Anglican Church in Devon.

Lisa, a spiritual health practitioner in Alberta hospitals, is sharing her journey of raising her daughter Jada, 19, her biological granddaughter, and Jada's daughter Autumn, 4. When Jada was around the age of 11, Lisa says she began exhibiting signs of psychiatric problems. The family sought treatment, but Jada did not like the side effects of her prescribed medication and she began self-medicating. She soon had a drug addiction.

Navigating the social support system to get help for Jada has been "emotionally and financially draining" for Lisa and her husband Garry. Lisa says there is a great need for a coordinated response from care practitioners who listen to families and provide seamless access to support. Over the years, she and Garry have tried many times to get Jada into treatment, but that requires a court order. She estimates they have gone to court more than 20 times.

When Jada became pregnant at age 14, she got sober for seven months. But after giving birth to a daughter, Autumn, she started using again. Lisa and Garry are raising Autumn.

"I grieve for Jada every day," says Lisa who finds it particularly difficult to read social media posts by parents of Jada's preschool classmates when their children reach milestones like high school graduation.

She is channeling her grief into helping people cope with different forms of loss: loss of a loved one to mental illness and addictions, loss of a home and community, loss of finances, loss of health, loss of a parent’s dreams for their child, etc.

She believes churches, too, can offer a public response by providing spiritual care and support. Beginning on September 17, she will welcome people to St. George’s to grieve their losses together through “A Sorrow Shared: Grieving Together Through Life’s Challenges.” 

Assisted by University of Alberta graduate student Madeline Robbenhaar, who is completing a master’s degree in human ecology and practice, she invites community members to explore their feelings through creative expression. 

The first session will feature the Japanese art of Kintsugi — meaning “join with gold,” based on the principle when something that sparks joy breaks, learning to mend and reconstruct that item can be empowering. The intent is to help people see beauty in the brokenness of their lives. 

There is no fee to attend the grief-support sessions which will also equip participants with tools for self-discovery and personal growth.

“There is life before the loss—and life after the loss,” she says. “How can we make sense of our new reality?”

To register for “A Sorrow Shared,” please email the Rev. Lisa Wojna, ldwojna@gmail.com, or phone 780-860-0313.

For more on this story, watch the October issue of The Messenger.