„I really do not know how I have gotten through these last 13 years,“ Taylor LaRocque told Newsweek.
For Taylor LaRocque, life has taken a series of unimaginable turns.
In an Instagram reel, she revealed the shocking loss of her mother that she suffered eight years after her sister’s death—on the very same day. Since then, she has taken to the internet to share her reflections about grief and family, finding her voice more and more along the way. LaRocque, 31, told Newsweek about the double tragedy she never saw coming and what she wishes she had known in her earliest days of grief.
„My sister passes away at 23 on our family vacation, thinking this is the lowest s*** could get“, she captioned the video. „My mom passes away on the same day as my sister eight years later.“
LaRocque’s sister, Jessy, was the oldest of three siblings, with LaRocque being the youngest and her brother Wesley the middle child. For LaRocque, the five-year age gap made Jessy more than just a sibling.
„She was my all-star, my Beyoncé, my everything“, LaRocque said. As a role model, Jessy even got LaRocque and her brother their first phones, first jobs and first credit cards. With their parents working long hours, Jessy’s role became more than just a sister from a young age.
„My sister was a sensitive soul and the kindest human being in the world“, LaRocque said. They had dreams of living together and traveling, and she strongly believes her travel-loving sister is „by the ocean somewhere, enjoying a drink.“
LaRocque’s mother, Rose-A-Lee, was a similar icon of inspiration and love.
Independent early on, she left home at 18 to build a remarkable career. LaRocque described her as „the bread winner, a boss queen and an inspiration to my siblings and I.
