How does Last Journey offer comfort to grieving families?

Deepu Verma

06 November, 2023

Grief is a deeply personal and challenging emotion. When a loved one passes away, families often find themselves overwhelmed by emotions, practicalities, and sorrow. During these difficult times, Last Journey plays a crucial role in providing comfort and support to bereaved families. Last Journey stands out for its dedication to offering consolation and assistance during this difficult period. Our services give more than just logistical assistance, offer solace, a sense of closure, and an opportunity to celebrate the departed's life.

The experience of losing a loved one in an unexpected and unfortunate circumstance can be incredibly distressing. Families often get affected by international incidents like accidents or natural disasters and require compassionate support. In these dire situations, Last Journey has demonstrated its commitment to humanitarian efforts by offering essential support to grieving families around the world. In this, we will explore how Last Journey's humanitarian initiatives provide comfort and solace during times of international tragedy, with a focus on a real-life case study of a tragic accident.

Case Study: Last Journey comforts grieving family during international tragedy

On a fateful day, June 21, 2023, Last Journey received a call from a distressed lady in the Maldives. Her voice was heavy with sorrow, her emotions in confusion. Through sobs, she conveyed a horrifying incident that happened earlier that day, and would be imprinted in the hearts of those involved.

In a rare and selfless act of heroism, the lady's brother had tragically lost his life while attempting to save her son, a seven-year-old child, from a dangerous situation in the Maldives. What makes this moment even more poignant is that the entire incident was captured on video, forever etching the heroic sacrifice in the memories of those who witnessed it, including the parents of the young boy and two of the lady's little daughters, who stood by in shock.

Last Journey quickly responded to the distraught lady's call, with their primary aim being to provide immediate emotional support. Grief in the wake of such sudden, traumatic loss can be overwhelming, and the compassionate team at Last Journey was there to provide solace and understanding.

The following day, a practical challenge presented itself. The family needed to arrange for the repatriation transport service of the deceased from the Maldives to the United States, where the rest of the family and friends resided. However, they encountered a significant roadblock – the Maldives did not offer embalming services, a necessary step in such cases. To address this, the deceased's dead body had to be transported from India to the United States.

The grieving family faced a race against time to secure the required paperwork and permissions for the journey. All necessary documentation, including authorization letters, was secured through email. However, when they attempted to book a flight on Thursday, it became apparent that the flight would land in Mumbai, India, on Friday evening, and the United States Embassy in Mumbai would be closed to the public after 4 o’clock.

So, We decided to reach out to the United States consulate in Mumbai, requesting assistance via email. The deceased's passport was attached to an email explaining the situation to the United States embassy in Mumbai. Remarkably, the United States Consulate in Sri Lanka played a crucial role in checking the passport via video call in the Maldives. The United States Embassy in Sri Lanka also provided the necessary no-objection certificate via email. This certificate was shared with the United States consulate in Mumbai, accompanied by a detailed account of the tragic events and an emotional plea for assistance.

The result of this collaborative effort was nothing short of remarkable. The United States Embassy in Mumbai responded over email, providing the necessary permissions to transport the dead body without requiring the original documents – a rare exception to standard procedure. The emotional plea from the grieving family further facilitated the process.

Last Journey team continued to offer emotional support as the family awaited the body's arrival in Mumbai. Through countless phone calls and chats, we offered words of solace, even guiding the family through meditation and chanting for emotional comfort. In the end, the selfless sacrifice of the lady's brother and the incredible efforts of the Last Journey team and the United States consulate acts as a testament to the endurance of the human spirit – which can overcome logistical challenges and insurmountable grief to bring hope and healing.