Twinless twins traveled as far away as Trinidad & Tobago, UK, Canada and across the US to Los Angeles, CA to be a part of the Annual Twinless Twins Conference. Over 40% of the twinless twins that attended were first time attendees, with some having lost their twin just weeks before. It was clearly obvious at the close of the first night of the conference that this event was a place where true healing could happen. There were conversations taking place, hugs freely given, tears shed, and small moments of laughter as stories were shared. The immediate connections twinless twins made with one another was unmatchable.
The night of the memorial walk was absolutely beautiful, where twinless twins walked in memory of their beloved twin. There were about 100 of us, all together. The ones that walked in front carried the banner, which had signatures and messages of love and remembrance from all the twinless twins attending the conference. As the twinless walked together in the large group down the boardwalk in Santa Monica, one of our group’s motto came to mind, “You are not alone”. You could see friendships had been formed.
The smaller parallel groups were really good as they allowed the twinless who were less inclined to share in the larger group be able to tell their story. The groups were divided into type of loss (sudden loss, early loss, lingering illness, etc.). This was good as it allowed the groups to share the specifics and connect on a deeper level as it related to specific losses. The parallel groups were two hours long and when the time was up it felt like it had just started. Deep and profound bonding had taken place in that time.
It is amazing to see the alumni come back to support the hurting, raw, newly bereaved twinless twins. Having the alumni present at the conference offers hope. They are surviving and moving forward in their grief while remembering their twin. One of the most common sayings from an alumni is, “It wont be like this forever. It does get better…” This is something that seems impossible to new twinless twins, so having the experience and support of the alumni was critical in helping the twinless heal.
It was a well attended and extremely healing conference. Click here to view photos!
We look forward to next year where we can reconnect with our twinless friends and take more steps towards healing. The 2014 Annual Conference will be held in Maryland. Dates are being looked at and planning has already begun – We hope to see you in July of 2014!!