Mediums help parents deal with loss of children

HYANNIS - Intense longing for her daughter led Nancy Bradford, of Harwich, to a medium.

Lauren Bradford was 18 when she died of a heroin overdose in 2010.

"I was so embarrassed and confused," Bradford said. "And I was overwhelmed.

I didn't know what to believe. But when I went home, I kept thinking 'How could she know that?

"' Since then, Bradford has found comfort and a connection with her daughter by visiting several mediums.

She is not alone.

Grieving parents and other relatives reeling from the loss of young lives during one of the worst drug epidemics in American history are finding solace in mediums.

"It's the peace, it's the knowing they are still there," said Janet Uhlar, of Eastham, who lost her son, Josiah Tinney, 26, to an overdose in 2014, as well as her son, David, in 2001, to suicide. "I can't see them. I can't touch them. But I know they are there. It brings you joy." The Open Doorway of Cape Cod, a nonprofit advocacy group that helps people with addiction find treatment on the Outer Cape, is offering a weeklong cruise in January for grieving families - and bringing along four mediums. The "Fun Raiser" for the group includes the cruise from Miami to Cozumel on Carnival Cruise Line's ship Glory. The mediums are donating their time to offer workshops and provide opportunities to connect with loved ones.