"What my mother recognized then -- and what I understand now -- is that losing a close family member is one of the hardest experiences that anyone can ever endure.

"I can therefore wholeheartedly relate to the Mother's Day campaign as I too have felt -- and still feel -- the emptiness on such a day as Mother's Day."

"For many it is a grief never entirely lost. Life is altered as you know it, and not a day goes past without you thinking about the one you have lost."