Mateo S. Gómez, MDiv, CT

I am from Guatemala, the second of 3 brothers, born on July 25th, 1967. Raised by a single mother, I attended elementary, junior, and high school in my country, where I also obtained my BA degree. In 1998, I married my wife Saira Gomez, who later became pregnant with our first baby. The pregnancy seemed normal initially, until she began experiencing health issues associated with her pregnancy. However, we were unaware that she was born with a heart condition, and her health rapidly declined, leading to a massive heart attack just 2 weeks before she was due to give birth. Tragically, she passed away on September 5th, 1999, along with our unborn child. The loss of my wife and baby dramatically changed my life.        

Seeking a way to cope with their loss, I moved to the United States in March 2000. Leaving my country, family, and friends brought another wave of grief into my life. Despite the challenges, I was determined to start anew far from the place of my traumatic loss. As I gradually adjusted to my new life, I thought I was finding meaning amidst the grief, only to face another tragedy when my oldest brother died by suicide in January 2006. His death plunged me back into profound grief, and I struggled to find resources to cope.       

This experience motivated me to seek self-education on grief, leading me to read numerous books on the subject. During this time, I had the opportunity to work at Forest Lawn Memorial Parks & Mortuaries in 2007, providing funeral services for the Hispanic families. In 2011, Forest Lawn appointed me as the Grief Coordinator for the Latino Community. I became a member of ADEC (Association for Death Education and Counseling) in 2012 and obtained my Certification in Thanatology in 2013. For the past 12 years, I have worked in this capacity, assisting hundreds of families during their most difficult times.        

In 2017, we launched our Facebook page “Corazones en Duelo” to provide virtual grief support to the Hispanic Community, which expanded significantly through the pandemic. With over 85,000 followers, it continues to grow every week. We built our presence on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Currently we have 14k followers on TikTok.  

It is an honor to help grieving individuals either in person or through social media. My goal is to assist them in normalizing and assimilating their grief, while also finding ways to honor the memory of their loved ones.