FAIRFAX, Va. — Mother’s Day is a celebration for many moms across the country, but a painful reminder of loss for some, like Debbie Gail Zane. She spends part of her Mother's Day at Fairfax Memorial Park with her son Alex.
“He was 26 years old when he passed away," said Zane. "He passed away after a nine-year battle with schizoaffective disorder and drug addiction.”
Alex’s unexpected death in 2022 left Debbie feeling lost, not knowing where to turn.
“After losing my son, I did a lot of soul searching as to what is my purpose, and why am I here, and why am I here and he’s not? What became so clear to me is that I wanted to help other parents," said Zane.
She said there’s no manual for parents who are watching their child battle addiction or mental illness, so she decided to write one.
“This is my book. It’s called finding peace and purpose amongst the tears," said Zane. "What I do is I go through a number of experiences that I went through with him, so that other parents can see that they’re not alone, there are other people that are dealing with this.”
Providing guidance she didn’t have.
"I was going to write this book to share my story of the love and loss of my son through his mental illness and addiction, to help other parents not feel alone and to give them hope for peace and healing," said Zane.
She believes she didn't write it alone.
“I know that it was my son helping me, I feel like we wrote this book together and this is our book together and this is his helping others through me as well," said Zane.