Life to Afterlife – Helping Parents Heal

The following is excerpted from Life to Afterlife – Helping Parents Heal, The Book: Featuring the Parents of Craig McMahon’s Documentary, ‘Mom, Can You Hear Me?

As soon as Colin answered, he told me that the situation didn’t look good. Morgan had stopped breathing, and they were attempting CPR. Colin was not sure that Morgan would make it. I was terrified but knew that Morgan needed to hear my voice. I wanted to pour all the love and gratitude I felt for my beautiful son through the receiver as he lay on the cold Tibetan ground.

I asked Colin to put the phone up to his ear. I told Morgan that we loved him, that we were proud of him, and not to be afraid. At that very instant, I felt Morgan hug me from the inside. To this day, I still cannot correctly explain this sensation. It was incredible; I felt a warm, calming feeling wash through me. That moment was utterly life changing. I later found out that this event was called a Shared Death Experience. Through it, Morgan comforted me and reassured me that he would always be with me. In an instant, I knew that love never dies…

Although Morgan’s passing forever changed the lives of everyone in my family, knowing where he was and that he was safe and happy reassured me. It helped me become an anchor for my husband and daughters. We learned to navigate our new lives without Morgan’s vast, loving presence in our family. A family friend gifted me with Dr. Raymond Moody’s book, Life After Life, and I gratefully read it in the days immediately following Morgan’s transition. I realized that there was scientific evidence to support the connection I felt with Morgan. Signs and validations have reassured us many times since his passing that he is with us.

Photo by Jeremy Ricketts

Morgan and Chelsea send signs every day to let me know that they are still right here. One of the best signs we have received was on Morgan’s 30th birthday when we hiked to the bench dedicated to him and Chelsea in the Spur Cross Recreation Area. As we walked towards the bench, I told Morgan that it would be wonderful to get a big sign from him. Very soon after, we spotted a bobcat up ahead in the middle of the path as we made our way through the beautiful desert. Seeing the bobcat was significant because the University of Arizona mascot is a Wildcat. The bobcat seemed to want to stay with us and approached us to within three feet. We took multiple pictures of the beautiful cat as it wound its way through the desert flowers, seemingly purring at us. My husband and I had no doubt that this majestic feline was a gift from our son.

My two daughters both feel Morgan’s presence in their lives. They realize that knowing our children in spirit are happy, healthy, and whole helps us move forward and heal. Therefore, they have spent the past 11 years supporting my work at Helping Parents Heal, welcoming parents to monthly meetings with hugs, smiles, and genuine love. I know that the kindness and compassion that they have provided have helped the two of them on their own healing journeys. Christine often has lifelike dreams of Morgan and knows that he is with her. Alix connects with Morgan through meditation and even believes that Morgan saved her life.

After Chelsea passed, I realized that there is more to our existence than this one physical lifetime. I knew she was not gone, and I was ultimately able to survive her passing with the help of my son Morgan. When Morgan passed in 2009 and gave me that tremendous hug, I was determined to learn all I could about the Afterlife. I needed to understand where Morgan was, who he was with, and what he did all day.

Helping Parents Heal grew out of a Facebook group I started in October 2009, one week after my son Morgan transitioned. I knew that I was not the only parent experiencing these signs from our children, and I wanted to share with people who understood. After joining forces with Mark Ireland and with the help of Doryce Norwood, our pro bono attorney, Helping Parents Heal became a nonprofit in 2012. It has far exceeded its humble beginnings. We now offer support and healing to Shining Light Parents on a worldwide basis. The goal of the support meetings conducted by affiliate groups is to let parents know that their kids are not gone. They are still right here.

Helping Parents Heal now has over 130 affiliate groups in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

You can watch the original documentary here:

ELIZABETH BOISSON

Two of Elizabeth’s children have transitioned; her daughter, Chelsea, in 1991 and her son, Morgan, in 2009 from severe altitude sickness while on a student trip to the Base Camp of Mt. Everest in Tibet. Immediately after, Elizabeth created the Facebook group that led to the creation of Helping Parents Heal in 2012. Elizabeth is a certified yoga instructor and teaches yoga for healing grief. She is the Affiliate Leader of the Phoenix/Scottsdale HPH group, and the author of Life to Afterlife – Helping Parents Heal, The Book.