Victoria teenager, Olivia Hahn, was only 15-years-old when she lost her mother, Patricia Kilshaw, to cancer.
To cope with her grief and give herself a space to heal, she began to write. In doing so, she produced a book dedicated to loss—specifically geared toward assisting teenagers dealing with the weight of losing a loved one.
It began as feelings being recorded as poems in a journal. She described it as a gathering of abstract thoughts and used that to convey the weight of what she felt was impossible to overcome.
At first, it wasn’t about the book or the end goal of having something published. She said, “I wrote it to honour my mom and also help myself process my feelings.”
But she soon realized that she wasn’t as alone as she felt—that there were others going through a similar struggle and there was an opportunity to help. So, she got to work and transformed her grief into creative productivity by piecing her thoughts and poems together.
The end result is a raw and touching look into Hahn’s experience. Her book is titled, Healing Our Wounded Hearts: A real life story about loss in the voice of a teenager. With each book purchase, part of the proceeds go towards supporting local Victoria Hospice and Palliative Care.
“It was hard having to revisit those memories from when my mom was sick and going to the hospital…those nervous feelings I felt [back then] came back,” said Hahn.
“But talking about it was really helpful for me.”
Since her book’s publication, Hahn has become a youth spokesperson and has been using her voice to reach out to peers and schools to encourage opening up and expressing grief and sadness.
She also won a Saanich 2022 Arts, Culture and Heritage Award for her inspirational achievements.
She has spoken at schools such as Gordon Head Middle School, Torquay School, and Pacific Christian High School. There, she has talked to other teenagers about grief and mental health, and her own journey with loss and healthy coping mechanisms.
“I really enjoy it,” said Hahn. “I really enjoy connecting with others…I felt super alone, so it’s really nice to be able to connect with other people my age.”
Despite her achievements so far, Hahn doesn’t consider her work to be done.
In collaboration with Learning Through Loss— a local youth organization dedicated to helping youth through their grief—Olivia is organizing a Dancing Through Loss Workshop. It will be on June 15th.
“It’s still in the works, but I’m very much looking forward to it!”
Additionally, Hahn is hoping to start a program where people can attend regular dance classes on the beach. She considers it to be another great way to express emotion and meet new people.
Her first beach dance class will be held at Gonzales Bay beach on June 2nd from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for $10 a person— proceeds will go towards setting up future programs.
She invites anyone in need of connection and safe space to dance with her.
