Mount Pleasant special to woman after daughter’s tragic death in 2012
LANCASTER – Despite a horrific personal tragedy that occurred there, Kelly Fuller finds Mount Pleasant a peaceful place, particularly during the annual sunrise Easter service.
In October 2012, her 11-year-old daughter, Drew, died when she fell from the mountain. Fuller said she feels connected to her daughter while at the service.
“It just has come to represent reconciliation, resurrection and new hope,” she said. “We’ve made friends there that we wouldn’t have made had we not gone that we’ve stayed in touch with and proven to be incredible supporters in our lives.”
Fuller has gone to every sunrise service on Easter there since 2013 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation last year. Fuller, a Bexley resident and former Lancaster resident who works for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, plans on going to Sunday’s 7:15 a.m. service.
“I was terrified the first time up,” she said of the 2013 visit. “In fact, I wasn’t quite sure how I would react when we got to the top of the mountain. But just seeing all those people and watching the sun come up and being a part of it. We’re not particularly overly religious people. I can’t overstate that, I guess. But there’s just something about that community of faith that drew us in and continues to draw us back every year.”
By the time Easter came around in 2013, Fuller said she and her family, including husband Bob Thomas and daughter Caroline, were still grieving and could not bring themselves to go to church. But she said she had an overwhelming urge to visit Rising Park and Mount Pleasant for the first time since the tragedy.
“We found an incredible community
of people that were worshipping and feeling close to their own faith,” Fuller said. “It began to happen to me that I began to feel an incredible awakening of my faith.”
Fuller said she went through some confusion and anger following Drew’s death and didn’t want to accept it.
“As anyone can imagine who’s been through the loss of a child, it’s traumatic for all involved,” Fuller said. “Parents, siblings, grandparents, friends. We did struggle and all these years later, I guess, continue to do so around significant events like birthdays, holidays.”
In order to deal with the grief, the family has dedicated itself to causes and organizations to help others and to keep Drew’s spirit alive. Additionally, Fuller goes to art therapy which she said has been helpful in channeling her grief into something creative.
Going back to the awful day in 2012,
Fuller said she got a call from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus saying her child had been airlifted there after going to Rising Park to play. Caroline was Drew’s twin sister, so Fuller didn’t know which child was injured. But she was told the injury was just a broken leg, which was not true, of course.
“Once we arrived at Children’s, we realized the injuries were much more catastrophic,” Fuller said. “She had indeed broken her leg, but she had suffered a massive head injury. She did succumb to her injuries after 24 hours on life support.”
Fuller said she doesn’t know if the grieving process ever ends and that she belongs to several online support groups for grieving parents.
“It’s always there,” she said. “It just becomes less jagged and that just becomes part of who you are.”