WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Savannah Teen Writes Book on Dealing With Grief

Savannah Teen Writes Book on Dealing With Grief

Losing a loved one to a violent crime is devastating, especially for children. As National Crime Victim's Right's Week kicks off, a Savannah teen is helping to make a difference in the lives of children who are coping with a tragic loss.

Her name is Haley O'Hayer, and she is only 15-years-old. But Haley has plenty to share with the Windsor Forest Elementary students she is reading to on a Monday afternoon.

Haley wrote a children's book called "Wings," a tale about a butterfly named Joey, who has lots of friends, and one day is killed by a jealous bee. His family and friends deal with Joey's death with the help of a white dove.

For Haley, fantasy and reality have mixed. Five years ago, Haley's older brother, Thomas O'Hayer, 21-years-old, was killed in his home on Cindy Street on Savannah's southside.

"It still occasionally hits me pretty hard," Haley told WTOC. Haley was 11-years-old at the time. "I really don't remember, all I know I was upset and there were a lot of people at my house crying," she said.

Haley's hoping her book, part tribute to her brother and part Girl Scout Gold Award project, sends a message to kids who are dealing with a similar loss.

"I understand how they feel," Haley said. "Other people around you know how they feel and they can talk to anyone."

Haley's book will be available at all Savannah-Chatham schools, but victim advocates hope children learn a little bit from what they are reading.

"We have never had a book about grief for children," Chatham County Victims-Witness Assistance program director Helen Bradley told WTOC. "It's so important to know homicide victim's families are effected and children are often over looked."

Bradley says people need to realize what programs are available to help ease the grieving process, especially for children. She thinks Haley's book is a good start. "People don't want to think about crime, but when it hits home, they think about it," she said.

Haley says just writing the book helped her. "It actually made grieving make sense to me and made me more comfortable with how grieving works," she said.

Now, she is hoping it will help someone else. "If it only touches one life, I'll be happy," Haley said.

For more information on the book, "Wings" by Haley O'Hayer, and grief counseling, you can contact the Chatham County Victims-Witness Assistance program at 652-7329.

Reported by: Don Logana, dlogana@wtoc.com