For anyone experiencing the loss of a twin, life can be a daunting challenge, when we’re left to pick up the pieces without our other half. The grief and void we feel is like no other, particularly because twins lives are biologically intertwined. Since my twin died, life has become a lot more challenging. I'm not healing currently.

Keeping my twin's memory alive

Deep personal loss is unique and I've had my fair share of struggles. It's okay to take the time and space to process your loss. It is okay to feel a range of emotions and to accept you have those. Healing is a process which takes time. I am keeping the memory and legacy of my twin alive by sharing my stories and by talking about her and her life.

Talking about my twin helps with my grief

Through my writing, being able to express my thoughts and feelings, talking about my twin is helping me to let go of the grief.

It is important I talk about her

It is important I talk about her. I remember a conversation my twin had with mum, (my twin was named after my mum’s sister) about the sister she lost to red flu at 25 (she was an asthmatic), when my twin asked why even though she was named after our aunt, our aunt was never spoken about.

Trauma of losing my twin

There is no doubt that the trauma of losing my twin has had a physical and mental effect on me personally. The grieving process takes personal and physical energy. I am experiencing the loss of someone who was important to me in my life.

When we ignore our loss, we ignore their life existed, or mattered. My twin mattered and we shared a life.

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

Most people who read this blog

went on to read these blogs next
Date 26 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle

Living with Difference

Seen, Misjudged, Rarely Understood For most of my life, I lived in the dark. Not because I didn't know I was different, but because I didn't yet have the understanding to explain why life always felt harder than it seemed to be ...
Read more
Date 24 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle

The Hidden Effects of Loss

Some consequences aren't immediate, they're cumulative It's five months into four years through twin loss, and I've split another tooth. On its own, it's an ordinary event. But it's an event that made me stop and look back ...
Read more
Date 19 July 2026
Author Ilana Estelle

What Writing Taught Me About Self-Understanding

How writing became more than a creative outlet When I started writing, I had no idea where it would lead. I simply needed somewhere to put my thoughts – a place to make sense of experiences I struggled to understand ...
Read more
1 2 3 681

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to receive regular updates

Enter your details below to be the first to receive updates on new articles on my blog.