Six years ago, Lei Zhang, an assistant professor of game development at Kennesaw State University, and his wife experienced the loss of their young daughter to acute myeloid leukemia. This personal tragedy has inspired Zhang to develop a virtual reality (VR) therapeutic system designed to help bereaved parents connect and support each other.
Zhang’s daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at eight months old. The family sought treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where Zhang became the bone marrow donor for his daughter’s transplants. Despite intensive care and a year of aggressive treatment, Lexie relapsed shortly after the procedure and passed away in April 2020.
After Lexie’s death, Zhang and his wife faced significant grief. St. Jude provided bereavement support, maintaining its commitment that “Once a St. Jude family, always a St. Jude family.” The hospital invited the Zhangs to share their story with other parents experiencing similar losses.
St. Jude holds annual events for grieving parents; however, due to the pandemic, many gatherings shifted online through platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Zhang found these virtual meetings less fulfilling because participants often kept their cameras off, making it difficult to form connections or see reactions during discussions.
“We did have some in-person events,” said Zhang. “One of them is called the Day of Remembrance. Every year this hospital brings the parents back to the hospital campus where we all met together and gives us all the chance to share our children’s stories.”
During these events, parents can create memory boards featuring photos and mementos of their children—a process that provides comfort but also prompted Zhang to consider how technology could enhance such experiences.
Zhang began exploring how VR could recreate a sense of community among grieving parents when in-person gatherings are not possible. His system will allow users to interact as avatars in immersive environments—such as scenic beaches—and participate in group therapy activities like discussions about loss.
“This type of loss can cause some prolonged or complicated grief symptoms that will affect the person’s quality of life,” said Zhang. “They can’t work, they can’t sleep, they can’t eat, and they have to acclimate to a world without their loved one.”
The VR platform uses advanced technology for eye and facial tracking so avatars can display natural expressions and gestures during interactions.
Zhang hopes that this research will eventually expand beyond parental grief support to address other forms of loss and mental health challenges.
