Delco Woman Helps Grieving Moms Through Social Media

By Stephanie Stahl

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Millions of people deal with grief every day. Now a growing number are comforting each other with the help of technology. Health reporter Stephanie Stahl shows us how a Delaware County mom is getting help and giving back.

Social media is often silly and trivial, but it can also be emotionally supportive, where strangers can come together for a powerful virtual hug.

An adorable puppy is a nice distraction for Tina and Mark Rose, who are heartbroken over the sudden death of their newborn daughter, Larkin.

"I'm always going to miss her and love her," Tina said.

Larkin was born in October, a big healthy baby who died from a birth complication. Lost in grief, Tina says social media is helping her cope.

"It just helps to be able to talk about it with other people," Tina said.

She has tapped into a vast community of other moms who have lost children, a virtual tribe of women she calls "loss moms."

"You feel like you're not alone and you have people that understand," Tina said. "There's days that I can't get out of bed. I take a picture of myself in bed crying and I post it, and there's ten women that have had the same thing happen, right away, and say, 'I know where you're at and just keep breathing.'"

They are strangers who have become soul mates through social media, helping each other cope with grief.

Tina has another constant reminder: a tattoo using Larkin's initials that says "love always remains."

Tina found an especially helpful book called You Are the Mother of All Mothers. She has a GoFundMe page called Larkin's Legacy to raise money to buy more books to give to other grieving moms.

"For the other loss moms, just to know that they're not alone and that there is a huge community of women out there that are ready to welcome with open arms to love them," Tina said.

Grief can be very isolating, but experts say sharing feelings and communicating is a critical first step in the healing process.

GoFundMe:

https://www.gofundme.com/larkinslegacy

Instagram: @Our_New_Normal

Some of the hashtags Tina suggests to connect with support:

#infantloss

#infantlossawareness

#lossmom

#lossmomshelpinglossmoms

#pregnancyloss