“There’s no solving or getting over anything” — General Hospital star Eden McCoy opens up about losing her mother and learning to accept grief

It has been about a year and a half since General Hospital star Eden McCoy, who plays Josslyn Jacks, faced the loss of her mother, Natasha, after a long and private battle with cancer. McCoy had kept the illness and her emotional struggles away from the public eye until her mother passed.

Now, in a conversation with co-star Maurice Benard on his mental health-focused State of Mind vlog, General Hospital star Eden McCoy opened up about the grief that followed her loss and the life-changing lessons she continued to learn through it.

One of the most important realizations McCoy had come to was that grief is not a problem to be fixed.

“Something that I had to learn recently recently was there’s no solving or getting over anything. It’s just acceptance, and it’s going to hit you when it hits you. And I’ve had to learn to honor that feeling,” she said.

This acceptance had become a crucial part of her healing process. She did not search for closure, and instead, she acknowledged the waves of grief as they came and allowed herself the grace to feel them.

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General Hospital star Eden McCoy: Finding strength in chosen family

McCoy shared that her family life had always been intimate and small.

“My entire life was me, my mom and my dad. That was Christmas. We didn’t get together with other family. I don’t know any other family. So to lose that unit was devastating.”

Her relationship with her father has been distant, making the bond with her mother all the more significant. Losing that core relationship left her navigating uncharted emotional territory, but not alone.

In the immediate aftermath of her mother’s passing, McCoy leaned heavily on her closest friends, who quickly became more than companions— they became her support system.

“My friends have become my family — literally... People were coming to my house, doing shifts just to sit. Just to be there. I remember not wanting to be alone. So that lasted for months, and it was just fun with friends time.”

Those early months were marked by a unique combination of sorrow and gratitude.

“I had a few big breakdowns, but day to day, I was so OK. And not even in an ‘I’m shocked and my body is suppressing this grief’ way. I genuinely felt so grateful. My life was gratitude. I was so grateful for her, so grateful for the time. So grateful. It was crazy,” McCoy said.

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General Hospital star Eden McCoy shares the lessons her mother taught her

That sense of gratitude, even amid loss, was something General Hospital star Eden McCoy credited to her mother. As Natasha neared the end of her life, she consciously chose to see the beauty and blessings around her. “While she was passing away, she chose to feel lucky,” McCoy recalled. That outlook left a lasting imprint on her daughter.

Even though she found initial strength in gratitude and the presence of her friends, the passing of time had brought new emotional challenges.

“If we’re speaking on emotionally how distraught I was, the first few months, six months was the easiest for me. I was so close to it for so long. I get challenged when time gets longer since she’s died," she said.

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General Hospital star Eden McCoy: A lasting bond

Despite the physical absence of her mother, McCoy expressed feeling deeply connected to her.

“My mom was the only person who would see me through anything,” she said.

She added:

“Icome from my mom. I am my mom, physically. She made me. She is a part of my body, scientifically, and that gives me a lot of comfort.''

As she continued to grow, General Hospital star Eden McCoy found new pieces of her mother within herself. “I learn new things about her all the time because I’m a growing person,” she reflected— a testament to how love continues beyond loss.

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Catch the latest episode of General Hospital streaming on ABC.