Family estrangements are common, though that doesn't make each individual estrangement unimaginably painful. My brother became estranged from my parents and me twenty years ago, and did not speak to my now-deceased parents or me again. I was my parents caregiver for 12 years, and following their deaths contacted my brother via email to let him know he was included as part of the estate settlement. I sent him the details regarding the disbursements. Once he had the money, the door closed shut again and I haven't heard from him in two years.

Here is some advice I found useful about toxic estrangements. " I give them a funeral. To be more precise I give the relationship a funeral to get closure and move on...I do it by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's five steps of grieving: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. "