Singer Annie Lennox was so moved by the tragic death of her son, she chose to immerse herself in humanitarian work.
The former Eurythmics singer's child Daniel was stillborn 20 years ago, and she insists the experience prompted her to re-evaluate her life.
Since then, the star has become renowned for her charity work with organisations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace.
She says, "It had an immense impact on me. It made me realise the human condition is immensely fragile and strong. At the same time I lost my son, thousands of people died in a remote part of Turkey after an earthquake.
"Curiously enough, I felt I could identify with those people as loss was all around me. My real, very painful and difficult personal experience and loss made me realise that life truly is temporary and when I hear about people's tragedies I empathise with them."
Lennox, 53, is set to be honoured for her work with families affected by HIV and AIDS by the British Red Cross at a ceremony in London next month (12Jun08).