Death in the Family

There are many things unfortunate in life. Losing your job never feels good. Having to move, unroot your family and start all over again can feel invigorating, but it taxes your energy like nothing else. It's also very difficult to end a relationship, whether it be a marriage or friendship.

By far, the most difficult thing, is to lose a loved one. Regardless of the situation, the overwhelming sense of grief is palpable. I lost my father's mother when I was 12. It was the first real sense of loss in my life. Mostly, I felt as if I had missed out on knowing her better, since our family didn't live nearby. But I felt my father's grief. It was intense and it was hard for me to get through at that age.

Compounding the grief of losing a loved one is losing your loved one while they're far away. Not only do you feel grief, you feel helpless. This is the situation of the Hinrichsen family. I'm not one to put words in others' mouths. I can only imagine how they must feel. They have lost a loved one.

Hannah Hinrichsen was a YFU exchange student living in South Carolina. She was a vivacious 16 year old, loving the fact that she was studying abroad in the US this year. She had nicknames for her friends here. Her family in Germany were proud of her, loved her, trusted her. Without that trust, how else do you let your daughter live in a foreign country for a school year?

Hannah simply didn't wake up one morning. She died in her sleep from unknown causes. And YFUers around the world mourn with you and have shared our condolences with the Hinrichsen family. Hannah's host family is mourning as well, and I'm sure I speak for many YFU folks that we share your grief. We want to give you strength for these next weeks and months.

Hannah Hinrichsen memorial profile