A woman who marked the fifth anniversary this week of her teenage son’s death said that every mother goes through a different journey after losing her child.

Antoinette Burgess, whose 16-year-old son, Kijani, died after a collision on January 13, 2020, explained: “A mom’s journey of grief is one that only they can take, because she carried that child for nine months and that child is a part of her.”

Ms Burgess encouraged mothers to let their grief out and rely on support systems.

She said: “The reality of the situation is that life goes on, but we have to figure out how to move on with that life and our child within us.

“One of the greatest things that I’m finding five years later is that quiet moment with just me is the best moment, because I’m allowed to process my grief in my own way without anybody around me.”

After her son’s death, Ms Burgess established the Kijani Burgess Dream Award, which provides a yearly $2,500 scholarship to a graduate of the Bermuda Institute.

The teenager’s classmates formed the Pain into Purpose group, which encouraged people to wear blue and perform a random act of kindness tomorrow to remember victims of road fatalities and raise awareness about road safety.

Ms Burgess said: “We are finding that more schools and businesses are participating because they are realising the impact of just one death — someone is impacted, whether it be at their place of work or their school.”

This year’s theme, “After the Crash”, will highlight what people go through after losing or almost losing a loved one on the roads of Bermuda.

Ms Burgess explained: “When the person passes away or they are severely injured, support for the family is non-existent and life goes on.

“We just want to remember that the impact is still there — five, ten, 20 years down the road, it’s still a lot to process.

“We haven’t really had a theme in the past, but being this is the fifth year, we decided to come up with a theme this year and each year going forward.”

Pain Into Purpose plans to have representatives outside The Phoenix Centre and Supermart tomorrow.