Community Exchange: Grief at a young age transforms into One Million Monarchs

In 1983, Stacey Sassine’s mother, Kris Fenton Siwek, wrote a book for her godson to help him understand the death of his father. The book was about a caterpillar that transformed into a monarch butterfly. In a way, it’s about rebirth when someone dies, Sassine said.

When Sassine was just 16, she had to come to grips with her mother’s death. It was a difficult experience for a teenager, she said, and one that needs time and some help to find peace.

In 2019, Sassine, of Cary, had her mother’s book published in her honor. Today, you can find “Caterpillars Can’t Talk: A Children’s Story About Love, Loss and Transformation” on Amazon.

“Having lost my mom at a young age, I know how important it is for teens to have a support system,” Sassine said.

Sassine’s experience has turned into a mission called One Million Monarchs, based in McHenry County. Its focus is to “grow through what you go through, support for grieving teens and families.”

In the past three years, One Million Monarchs has supported 80 families experiencing the grief associated with the loss of a loved one. The organization provides counseling for teens across up to 24 free sessions.

“The best part is I am finally assigning a purpose for what I went through as a kid, assigning purpose for the pain,” Sassine said. “There’s so little support for kids going through this, so I’m glad we can provide a resource.”

Besides helping teens, One Million Monarchs also provides support for parents as well as scholarships through a resource network to ease the financial burden of loss.

To donate or volunteer at One Million Monarchs, visit onemillionmonarchs.org.

ANOTHER CELEBRITY SIGHTING: About 18 months ago, Terry Ptak and his wife Barbara were at Little Chef Restaurant in downtown McHenry when an actor from one of their favorite TV shows walked in. It was David Eigenberg, who plays Lt. Christopher Hermann on “Chicago Fire.”

Eigenberg was with two of his children, and they took seats at the diner’s counter, as all other tables were occupied.

“Being avid fans of ‘Chicago Fire,’ ‘Chicago Med’ and ‘Chicago PD,’ we were excited to see him, but discreet,” Terry Ptak wrote to me. “Barbara and I grew up in Chicago, moved to McHenry and built a home in Johnsburg. We have lived here now for over 30 years, initially with our four children and Quincy, then our family dog. We have been blessed with six grandchildren.

“After finishing breakfast, we casually walked up to Mr. Eigenberg, who was not yet served, and introduced ourselves and acknowledged to him as being fans of his show. He then spoke to us briefly and thanked us for watching. We were soon on our way, satisfied knowing that we would be watching him on TV in a different light.

“He’s an extremely friendly person. Barb and I hope this celebrity encounter qualifies us to be part of your ‘McHenry celebrity sightings.’ ”

Sure thing, Terry and Barbara. If you have had a similar encounter with a celebrity in McHenry County, please share your experience with me.

ALZHEIMER’S FORUM: The Algonquin Area Public Library, 2600 Harnish Drive, will host an Alzheimer’s Community Forum from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 7.

The forum is to learn about the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, risk factors, the latest research and connections to local resources. Attendees also can share thoughts and ideas on how the Alzheimer’s Association can better serve the community.

The association is partnering on the forum with the AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois Agency on Aging, Independence Health and Therapy, NeuroClinic and Assessments, Senior Services Associates, the Algonquin Area Public Library, Clarendale of Algonquin and Rivers Gives.

“Our goal is to learn about real-life experiences of community members, educate about resources and engage more people by identifying needs and service gaps within the community and classifying targets for expanded outreach in regards to Alzheimer’s disease,” said Aileen Zei, manager of education and community volunteers for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Illinois chapter.

Registration is required to attend the forum. Call 800-272-3900 to register.

• Dennis Anderson, vice president of news and content development for Shaw Media, lives in Crystal Lake. He’s looking to share news about you and your neighbors and special events and happenings. Share your Community Exchange news with him at danderson@shawmedia.com.