Grief does all kinds of things to people - I can think of a dozen different ways that the loss of a parent would derail someone. I have a difficult relationship with both parents, when one of them dies I have no idea how I'll react - with grief, guilt, relief - who knows but I know their death could very easily tip me over.

It's so easy to assume that other people adjust easily, and that Ts should have some magic powers that mean they are more able to cope, but they don't. They're human like the rest of us. The loss of a parent at any age is a terrible thing and certainly enough to take someone out of work for a long time.

If he had had an accident or serious illness that made him unable to would his loss feel so personal, I wonder?