The natural emotional response to loss. Grief is not only experienced when someone dies — it can follow any significant loss, including the loss of health, identity, independence, or the life a person expected to have. After cardiac arrest, grief is experienced in multiple ways: by co-survivors who may grieve the person their partner was before the arrest, or the life they had together before it was altered by an ICD or cognitive impairment; by survivors grieving their previous sense of invulnerability, their former career, or their ability to do things they loved; and by families when the person does not survive. Grief is not a linear process — it does not proceed in fixed stages. It can resurface unexpectedly, around anniversaries, milestones, or reminders of what has been lost. There is no right way to grieve, and no set timeline. Support is available through bereavement services, counselling, and peer support.
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