One accident. Two victims. Three deaths. A moving account of grief and its aftermath.
In the fall of 2009, Catherine Gourdier and the other members of her family are happily gathered at a surprise fortieth birthday party for her youngest sister, Julie, when the unthinkable happens.
As Julie and her parents are walking home from church, they are hit by a car driven by an elderly woman. While her father is unharmed, Julie and her mother are rushed to hospital, where they succumb to their injuries. Seven weeks later, still reeling from the sudden loss of his wife and daughter, Catherine's father dies suddenly, most likely from a broken heart. Breathe Cry Breathe is the story of Gourdier's journey through grief, as she tries to come to terms with the traumatic and sudden loss of three close family members. In the ensuing weeks, months and years, she realizes that “grief doesn't vanish so quickly. It packs a suitcase and moves into your heart and head.”
Trying to come to terms with her loss, Gourdier seeks alternative healing therapies and throws herself into practical pursuits, trying to get a crosswalk installed at the site of the accident, advocating for mandatory testing for elderly drivers, promoting organ donation and organizing fundraisers for the Special Olympics in her sister's name, all of which helps her to finally move beyond her devastating grief.
