Losing a parent is a hard thing... I often sit here and think it would be great if mum and dad were alive and had a chance to see their grandkids grow up.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I lost my dad when I was younger, and I know what it's like to lose a beloved parent.
To lose your last remaining parent is the toughest thing. It is a very lonely thing.
Losing your parent is unlike anything.
Obviously, at this age, I've lost people in my life. But with a parent, it's just different. I was very attached to my father and had this naive little-girl notion that he'd always be around. So I'm finding acceptance of my father's death is the hardest thing to accept.
If you lose a parent, no matter at what age, every five or 10 years you have a different way of missing them and a different way of getting on with your life.
Obviously, losing a parent is very difficult. I miss my dad every day, but I know he would be proud to see me continuing to swim and going for another shot at the Olympics.
And in that time, I lost my dad and had kids of my own. It was like, OK, I get it now. I know what fatherhood is all about. And you look at your parents differently.
Losing both parents at a young age gave me a sense that you can't really control life - so you'd better live it while it's here. I stopped believing in a storybook existence a long time ago. All you can do is push in a direction and see what comes of it.
Anyone who loses a parent, you have to find those parts of yourself that your parent held true in themselves, especially if they're supportive parents.
I mean, the idea of losing a parent is really inconceivable. I think there's just an undertone of dread about the subject, so people don't talk about it and don't prepare for it.