When there's no body to grieve over
In the days since the Air France plane crashed on 1 June, the details of what may have happened have been slow to emerge. Of the 228 people on board, only 44 bodies have been recovered.
Last week, relatives of one of the victims joined a manslaughter investigation, in an effort to find out more information.
Arguably, it's the not knowing that's most difficult. Without a body to grieve over and the knowledge of what happened, it's even more difficult to come to terms with the death of a loved one.
It's something iPM listener Bill Kitchen wrote to tell us about. He sent this sentence of news to the programme
"It's a sunny Saturday yet I sit in tears trying to plan a celebration of my eldest son Joel's life - he disappeared in the Indian Himalayas 7 years ago."
Joel was 26 and Bill says he was the adventurous type. He and his girlfriend Lucy Wallace wanted to travel but cared about the environment so they bought a tandem to cycle to India.
UPDATE Listen to the interview as it was broadcast on the programme. Bill begins by telling us what happened.. (8.20 mins)
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Very strange listening to my faltering voice on my bedside radio early this morning, once again stirring very mixed yet powerful emotions within me. Thanks for your interest;it helped me to think about all those families that live with feelings fractured by the disappearance of a loved one. Every time I feel the wind on my face - I sense a kind of elemental connection to the forces that carried Joel away. It is strangely comforting.
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Hello Bill - thanks for taking time and trouble to do the interview, I know it wasn't easy. Appreciated. Hope your celebration of Joel is the day you want it to be. Best Jen
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