In June of 2012, during a freak weather accident, my family lost my youngest brother, Matthew.

I never really knew what it felt like to lose a family member until that point. When I was younger, one of my great-grandfathers had passed away, but I was too young to understand what was happening and wasn't really close with him, so it had little effect on me then.

But, when Matthew passed away, I was 16 and about to go into my junior year of high school. I was right in the middle of trying to figure out who I was as a person and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

It's easy to say that Matthew was my best friend. I always wanted to spend every moment I could with him. Today, I am thankful for how obsessed I was with him because I have a ton of pictures and videos saved from his time with us. Losing my baby brother was the hardest thing I have ever gone through, and it taught me a lot about life and continues to do so every day.

I'm not really sure how my mom found out about Comfort Zone Camp, but I am forever thankful that she did. Comfort Zone Camp (CZC) is a nonprofit organization that helps children through the grief of losing a parent, sibling, grandparent, or primary caregiver. The programs they offer are free of charge to the families that send their children to the camp. They hold camps in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Virginia.

"Comfort Zone's programs are offered to children ages 7-17, and their families for the family programs, plus we offer young adult programs for 18-25 year olds."

I attended camp the October just four very short months after losing Matthew. I remember how nervous I was when I was getting picked up from school that Friday afternoon to make the trip up to Central Jersey. I'm pretty sure I begged my Nana and Pop-Pop to let me go back home with them instead of staying at the camp like I was supposed to, but I ended up having the best time. I look back on those memories fondly to this day.

Comfort Zone helped normalize therapy for me and taught me healthy ways to deal with all of the emotions I was feeling.

For a young girl at the age of 16 (or any age for that matter), losing someone that you hold so close to your heart turns the world upside down, and I was quickly falling into a dark place. I will never forget my brother or pain of him no longer being here, but thanks to CZC, I have a whole arsenal of coping methods in my back pocket whenever I need them.

I strongly believe that the skills I learned and the memories I made at that camp saved my life. CZC does an amazing thing for children of all ages, normalizing therapy, and talking about loved ones who have passed away, helping to end the stigmas that are attached to them.