In the summer of 2017, Dr. Fabiola Constant’s life split into “before” and “after.”
“That’s when our son’s tragic accident occurred,” Constant said.
Her son, Yvince Princeton Constant Jr.—nicknamed Lou, for “Love Others Unconditionally”—was just two and a half years old when he drowned. While authorities conducted an investigation, Constant and her husband have long believed there may have been foul play involved and feel that the circumstances remain unresolved.
Yvince Princeton Constant Jr., better known as “LOU,” which stands for “Love Others Unconditionally.”
(Courtesy of the Lou Foundation)
In the devastating aftermath, the couple found themselves in a “dark place,” struggling to hold their family together. In that isolation, Constant searched for a support system she couldn’t find.
“I couldn’t find anybody I could relate to. In my head at that moment, I didn’t realize that it was other moms like me,” she said. “I never want another mom to feel like that. I didn’t want anyone else to be in a space where they don’t have a community to belong to or to relate to or talk to or lean on.”
That wish became the seed for Lou Foundation Inc., a nonprofit founded in 2017 and formally incorporated in 2019. Today, the foundation serves bereaved mothers, or “Bmoms,” fathers, or “Bdads,” and families across Miami-Dade and Broward counties through three pillars: bereavement, youth empowerment, and family and community care.
“I never want another mom to feel like that. I didn’t want anyone else to be in a space where they don’t have a community to belong to or to relate to or talk to or lean on.”-Dr. Fabiola Constant
(Lou Foundation)
Healing spaces beyond therapy
Constant’s approach is shaped by the cultural realities of Black, Brown, and Caribbean communities, where traditional therapy is sometimes stigmatized. While she embraced therapy, she recognized that for many, “just praying” was the only suggested remedy.
“I was like, ‘God, besides therapy, what else?’ Because grief affected the whole family dynamic. It affected my husband. We had other kids.”
Dr.Fabiola Constant with Lou.
(Courtesy of the Lou Foundation)
When her husband was initially hesitant about formal counseling, Constant got creative.
“Every time I would go to therapy, I would learn stuff, then I would bring it home and teach him in an innovative, creative way where it wasn’t like I was doing therapy with him, but in fact, I was actually doing therapy with him.”
This evolved into the foundation’s Mommy & Me and Daddy & Me brunches, which serve as interactive gatherings.
“For example, we’ll do a puzzle game that requires everyone at that table to assemble the puzzle piece together, where they have to communicate. They have to listen. They have to work together as a team,” Constant said.
The goal is intentional connection.
“We’re always taught to work, and we figure because we’re working and we’re providing that quality time, that’s family, that’s love. No, it is not,” Constant said. “It’s the thing that you cannot put money on is actually love.”
A 24-hour lifeline
A cornerstone of the foundation is its private, 24-hour Facebook group for bereaved mothers.
“We have a 24-hour support group via Facebook to allow them to let their hair down, to allow them to be them,” Constant said. “It allowed us to come in and cry.”
The philosophy is simple: grief cannot be rushed. Constant described the group as a place to be honest about hard days, anniversaries, and the emotional unpredictability of grief.
“It’s OK not to be OK,” she said. “But the key thing is, just don’t get stuck, push forward. Press forward. Even if it’s a baby step, it still moves you forward. We give you the tools, the resources, the connection, the community that you need to help you navigate that process.”
The foundation supplements this digital support with the Lotus Bloom Gathering, a six-week healing program, and semi-annual “Visions Are Infinite” workshops. These workshops focus on accountability and goal-setting, helping members regain control of their finances and personal milestones.
For Mairlyn Lightbourn-Oshodi, who lost her son to violence years ago, the foundation filled a decades-long void.
Mairlyn Lightbourn-Oshodi, a Bmom, right, and in the middle, Dr. Fabiola Constant.
(Courtesy of the Lou Foundation)
“When my son was taken, it was like my life was just shattered,” she said. “I got mad with everyone. For many years, I felt I couldn’t even drive down the street where he is currently laid to rest. I couldn’t put up pictures of him in the house. It was just devastating.”
Still, she said she had never been in community with other grieving parents until she found the Lou Foundation during a Bahamas retreat where she met Constant.
“Before, I wasn’t involved with other parents who have lost their child or children,” she said. “But after connecting with Bmoms, I was like, there are other parents, you’re able to share your feelings, you’re able to cry. You’re able to let go in a safe place.”
Community care and youth empowerment
Lou Foundation’s outreach extends beyond grief circles. Its quarterly “Bmoms Helping Hands Homeless Distribution Love Brunch” serves meals and essentials to more than 300 people experiencing homelessness.
Constant said the outreach grew, in part, after she encountered a bereaved mother in crisis.
“One of the Bmoms was homeless, and we helped her transition from homelessness to stability,” she said. “She was able to find a job, have a house, and provide for her kids.”
Beyond bereavement, the Lou Foundation invests in youth through entrepreneurship and literacy initiatives. Its YoungPreneurs Showcase provides a platform for children to present businesses, talents, and creative projects.
The YoungPreneurs program.
(Courtesy of the Lou Foundation)
The youth work grew out of Constant’s parenting, helping her daughter develop a business concept.
“We gave them that outlet to express their grief, to express their trauma, their loss, in a positive and meaningful way where they are able to thrive,” she said. “We’re always there to support them. We encourage them. We’re big on education, so we always make sure all the dots and stuff are connected.”
Lou’s Healing Pages, a literacy and publishing initiative, helps children process trauma through storytelling and self-expression. It grew out of one of her son’s interests in writing.
From grief to growth
Though rooted in South Florida, the foundation’s impact has followed families as they relocate to states like Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and California. Constant’s goal is to continue expanding this network, ensuring no parent has to navigate the “after” alone.
At its core, Constant says the message remains consistent: healing looks different for everyone.
“It’s different for everyone because of support,” she said. “The ones that actually have support, the navigation process looks a little bit different compared to those that don’t have support.”
For Constant, the mission is a daily choice to transform pain into purpose.
“We all have an expiration date,” she added. “But while you’re here, what are you doing to make a difference? What are you doing to leave a legacy?”
For her, that legacy is Lou.
“That’s why I like to say ‘from grief to growth,’” she said. “From pain to power, from loss to legacy.”