When Laurie Mossey’s 20-year-old son died, it was a pair of pyjamas that helped her during the dark days.
The Abbotsford woman lost her son Tyler Miller after he took tainted ecstasy. Depressed and not wanting to get out of bed or leave the house, Mossey received the pyjamas as a gift from a friend who had also lost a child.
"Every day I wore my pyjamas, I didn't want to get out of them,” Mossey said. “You don't want to get dressed when you've lost a child."
In an effort to share the simple but profound gesture, Mossey has created the "Pyjama Project", sending pyjamas to grieving B.C. mothers whose losses she’s heard about through news reports or friends.
"To sit in and feel comfortable and not have to worry about getting dressed and to feel comfort in knowing that there are other mothers out there who know that you're going through," she said.
In addition to the pyjamas, Mossey sends a book called ‘Experiencing Grief’.
"And I'll also write up a personal letter for each of the moms."
The project received a financial boost in December when a local high school partnered with the Abbotsford Hospice to show their support. Local businesses also made financial contributions.
Mossey is also reaching out to the families of children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14.
"Their circumstances are different but the pain is the same and I know how they feel,” she said. “To send pyjamas to them would show them that people all over the world support them and understand their pain."
With a report from CTV British Columbia
