Heidi Snow Cinader, founder of AirCraft Casualty Emotional Support Services (ACCESS), offers invaluable support to those affected by air disasters. After losing her fiancé in the TWA Flight 800 crash, she created a network of trained volunteers who have experienced similar tragedies, providing comfort and guidance to survivors and families of victims. Following the recent mid-air collision involving an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., Cinader's organization is once again stepping up to provide critical emotional support.
Heidi Snow Cinader is intimately familiar with the profound grief that arises from losing a loved one in an airplane crash. After her fiancé perished when TWA Flight 800 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean in 1996, she established an air disaster bereavement support network to assist others who had endured similar tragedies.
Through her nonprofit organization, AirCraft Casualty Emotional Support Services, or ACCESS, Cinader has been instrumental in guiding individuals through the grieving process after being affected by or involved in air disaster-related incidents. For years, her charity has connected survivors and families of victims of air tragedies with professionally trained volunteers who have personally experienced the devastating impact of such events. When Cinader and her team of volunteers witnessed the wreckage of the American Airlines aircraft in the Potomac River following its collision with a Black Hawk military helicopter, it transported them back to the day their lives were irrevocably altered. 'At our organization, we have the unenviable credentials of having lost loved ones in our disasters,' Cinader remarked to FOX Business. 'And all these incredible people have come forward over the years from general aviation, commercial, and military air crashes to truly come forward to help other people get through their grief.' Many of the individuals who now serve as grief mentors initially reached out for help themselves. Several years after their own loss, they became eligible to participate in training and subsequently became grief mentors, offering support to others navigating similar grief journeys. Several volunteers contacted Cinader after Wednesday's crash, expressing their willingness to help and stating their readiness to offer support. According to Cinader, these individuals are among the few who truly comprehend the pain of waiting for answers regarding the cause of the crash, the agonizing process of body recovery, and the overwhelming presence of constant media coverage. Beyond grief support, the nonprofit also assists individuals in crisis by raising their awareness of available resources. 'Through the ACCESS support system and referral services, we help individuals to overcome the feelings of hopelessness, isolation, despair, and confusion that often follow an air disaster,' the website states. 'We help minimize the risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms, long-term depression, family difficulties or an inability to function socially or at work.' The ultimate goal is to empower individuals to 'gain renewed strength, hope, and purpose.' The nonprofit strives to provide support not just in the immediate aftermath of an air disaster, but for the entirety of a person's life. This includes major life events like birthdays and remarriages. Finding someone else who understands 'how to live a life for the long term' is a crucial aspect of what the organization aims to achieve, Cinader explained. 'I remember so well...when I needed somebody to be with me for what laid ahead,' Cinader said
Air Disaster Bereavement Support Grief Counseling ACCESS American Airlines Mid-Air Collision Potomac River
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