DA-ADV-203:   
Melissa Brooks

Afraid of Getting It Wrong

Melissa Brooks is devastated by the anticipated loss of her teenage son following a motor vehicle collision. Overwhelmed by guilt and maternal protectiveness, she feels that even considering donation may be one more way she is failing to protect him. The advocate must remain emotionally grounded, tolerate waves of grief without trying to fix them, and provide a calm, compassionate presence.

Through the challenges of parental grief, guilt, and protectiveness, the primary learning objectives are to:

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  • Remaining emotionally present during intense parental grief
  • Responding to guilt without trying to argue it away
  • Recognizing that repeated emotional questions are often expressions of pain, not requests for data
  • Tolerating silence, tears, and disorganization without becoming overly directive
  • Maintaining steady support when a family member’s emotions come in waves
Program

Donation Advocate

Target Audience

Donation Advocates

Scenario Type

Family Member

Clinical Context

Brain Death

Registry Status

Non-Registered

Difficulty

4

Experience Level

Advanced

Emotional Intensity

High

Conversation Style

Parental Grief, Emotional Steadiness

Essential
Sim
Elements

Meet the simulation speaker

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Melissa Brooks

Family member, Mother
Melissa is the exhausted mother of 16-year-old Ethan Brooks, whose devastating traumatic brain injury followed a high-speed motor vehicle collision. She understands donation could help others, but grief and guilt make donation feel like one more moment where she might fail to protect her son.
PO Box 1409, Erie, CO, 80516-1409
Phone number: 866-433-4276
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