Jordan, Zach, and Helena are now in their 50s and have one remaining living parent, Dean. Their mother, Leigh, passed away 10 months ago unexpectedly from a stroke. Their dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer that metastasized to the liver just three months ago, and Dean is on a rapid decline.
The siblings are all in different stages of grief and all have different relationships with their father. Helena (the youngest) never forgave Dean for his midlife behavior, although Dean and Leigh did not divorce and seemed to form a stronger relationship after Dean's midlife issues were resolved with time and counseling. Zach was the middle child and always felt like the middle child; he was very close with his mother and is still deep in grief over losing her so recently and so suddenly. Jordan was extremely close with his father and considered him his best friend. Dean is very anxious and afraid of dying; however, he does claim that he is eager to reunite with the love of his life-Leigh.
Based on the case study provided in the Discussion Forums in this course and this week's required readings, what type of grief reactions are Jordan, Zach, and Helena experiencing? Explain the reaction types you selected to characterize each. Which sibling do you feel is going to have the hardest time recovering emotionally from these losses and why?