Grief has a way of hollowing us out. But sometimes, in that emptiness, something powerful takes root. This week on The Bright Side, we bring you the story of Shakera Young-Forrester, a mother whose world was shattered in an instant when her only son, seven-year-old Tyler Savery, was taken by senseless gun violence. What followed was a journey through unimaginable sorrow… but also, a remarkable transformation. From the depths of her pain, Shakera emerged as a beacon of hope, a voice for grieving mothers, a pillar of faith, and a woman who turned mourning into a ministry. Here’s Sabreena Daly with that powerful story.
Sabreena Daly, Reporting
Shakera Young-Forrester is a woman who lives to help others. After losing her son, she started the Tyler Savery Foundation to support families dealing with grief. She also created Beauty for Ashes, a safe space for women working through deep emotional wounds. Today, she’s a leader in her Christian faith, a path she says gives her life meaning. But every Mother’s Day, Shakera takes a moment to reflect on how everything changed back in 2016.
Shakera Young-Forrester, Advocate for Healing
“In my heart, I said people need help. Who is there to help people like me? My heart also grieved for other mothers who had lost sons, especially younger children. But there’s nobody to relate to you. Who is there to talk to you and say, “I’ve been down that road?”
“So that was the last I saw of him, running into the schoolyard, excited, going to school because he enjoyed being there. And the last thing I remember was seeing him on that hospital bed, with wires connected to him. And I’m thinking, this has to be a dream. Because what could a seven-year-old possibly do to someone to deserve a bullet in his chest?”
Countless families have felt the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. Every life lost to gun violence may look like the same tragedy, but the grief that follows is deeply personal and never the same. Grief therapist Tina Cuellar says the most important thing we can do for someone in that pain… is to simply listen.
Tina Cuellar, Grief Therapist
“Grief is like a fingerprint—none is the same. So even if we have two women in the room who have lost children to gun violence, and it’s their only child, their grief will be different. They come with different histories. They sometimes come with other forms of grief, and if you’re adding those additional layers, the way that person grieves will be different. So, to truly understand the person is to understand their story: What did that child mean to them? How did it impact them upon first learning the news? How are they coping? How do they honor the memory? What does it feel like?”
“You know, Sabreena, Tyler would have turned 10 in 2018 and I met that young man just a day or two after—Tyler’s birthday was September 20th. I said, “You and your friends took away my baby—I couldn’t experience his 10th birthday with him.” And he looked at me and said, “I am sorry. Please forgive me.” And at that moment, all I could do was just hold him so close. Because in that moment, I saw Tyler—I saw forgiveness, I saw love, I saw compassion. I saw a boy that needed restoration.”
Cuellar sheds light on the challenges people face in confronting grief. She highlights the importance of embracing memories as part of healing and offers a compassionate perspective on how love continues through the grieving process.
“A lot of times, we lose people, and others don’t want to talk about them ever again. It’s kind of like, “I don’t want to talk about that. That’s done. I just don’t want to talk about it because it’s going to upset me.” But when are you going to? Being able to maintain that memory—and those moments—with that loved one is important for your process. And again, grief is a form of love.”
When you’re deep in grief, healing and peace can feel out of reach. But Shakera Forrester’s journey shows that it is possible. These days, her focus has shifted. It’s no longer just about the foundation named after her son. It’s about the joy that comes from healing, from sharing her story, and from living proof of a promise she holds close: that joy truly comes in the morning.
“I’m now experiencing Psalms 30, verse 5: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” I’m experiencing that. And so I thought holding on to this foundation, and holding on to His memory, would keep me at that place in grieving and mourning — when that’s no longer who I am. That’s no longer me. I’m no longer a grieving mom. I am a mother, yes, who has lost, but I am a mother now to a community. I am a mother to a nation now. I was a mother to one, but I remember the Lord said to me, “You were a mother to one, but you will be a mother to many.”
Looking on The Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly.
