The death of a child is something that most of us will never know. But imagine if your child had been murdered. In this Break the Cycle report we meet a mother who has turned her grief into a helping hand for others.

CBS 11 News spoke with a woman who knows that pain firsthand, because her son was a victim in a well-publicized murder case that got national attention.

"I had to learn to say my son was murdered, to use the word 'murder' it was hard. It took me several years," said murder victim's mother, Betsy Leppink.

It's a word no mother should ever have to say. And when it happened to Leppink's son, Kent, 12 years ago, she and her tight knit family were devastated.

"In the first year, I read everything trying to find

a reason that his death wasn't just a complete waste," said Leppink.

It took a while, but Leppink says she eventually found that answer in a book.

"And it said you never know what someone has suffered till you walk in their shoes. And I thought, 'I guess I'm walking in these shoes for a reason and I better not waste a moment of it,'" said Leppink.

Leppink is a Christian who says God guided her to other victims, like the women she met in a tiny town in Appalachia, whose own son had been murdered.

"I looked at every picture she had of her son, every bowling trophy. She just needed someone who she knew had hurt as badly as she did. So you know, you just have to reach out," said Leppink.

Since then Leppink has reached out

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many times, knowing what victims feel, but also what they fear: like explaining what happened to their children.

"I didn't like meeting new people. They would ask me how many children I had. And I couldn't say, 'four' and I couldn't say, 'three' and not claim Kent. And talking to other mothers, they understood exactly what I'm saying," said Leppink.

It's that knowledge that has made Leppink a hero with organizations that help victims across the country, and also with prosecutors in Alaska who deal with violent crime.

"It's not only the communication she has with victims' families. I'll call her sometimes and say, 'I don't know if they are ready to talk to you, how do I approach this victim? They're a little uncooperative, hostile. Tell me what they might be feeling, because I don't know. I don't understand,'" said Katie Paakki of the Office of Special Prosecutors.

Leppink understands in a way that few do, and it is her gift to pass that on. Leppink will be receiving a very special award from the group, Victims for Justice. If you'd like to learn more about their awards banquet or their organization you can, click below: