The terrible events that occured on the campus of Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007 have had a tremendous impact on people, both directly and indirectly. One of the victims of the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech was a twin. Ryan "Stack" Clark of Columbia County, Georgia, was a resident adviser in the West Ambler Johnston dormitory and one of the first victims to lose his life on Monday morning. He leaves behind a twin brother, Bryan who described his brother as "someone who could do anything he put his mind to doing."

Losing a twin presents some particular grief issues for twin survivors, as detailed in this New York Times article. Researchers have said that twins feel the loss of their sibling more severely than any other loss. In 1986, Dr. Raymond W. Brandt founded Twinless Twins Support Group International to help support others through the unique grief of losing a twin. My heart aches for all of the people who have lost a friend or family member, and for everyone who is suffering in the wake of such a senseless tragedy.