Grappling with Grief

Livvy’s Smile & Daniel’s Gift: Sara Meredith

By Sara Meredith   My name is Sara and unfortunately due to this crazy thing we call life I have become an expert on grief and child loss, both I had no desire to know so well. On November 7, 2008, I walked into my daughters bedroom at 4:00 a.m. to find her not breathing. […]

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The Loss of Your Mother: Michelle Ozanne

By Michelle Ozanne   The day my life changed forever forward was October 1, 2022. It was a Saturday. The night before I had a call from my dad telling me Mum wasn’t herself, he thought she was having a breakdown. I told him I would be straight there, but he assured me she was […]

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12 Things I Learned After Becoming a Widow

By Leo Donnell   My name is Leo Donnell, and I am the founder of One Happy Widow. I help widowed people pivot from grief to growth in their life after loss. In 2017, I was married and raising four children with my husband Dewey. He was only 42, but had already been discharged from […]

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Seeds in Time: Jo Goodwin-Worton

By Jo Goodwin-Worton   I was married to Jay for nearly 12 years when, in 2018, life as we knew it took a very different pathway. Twenty-four days after moving into our first house together in June 2018, Jay was diagnosed with Stage 4 gastro-oesophageal cancer. His cancer was aggressive and from the start, we […]

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Recapturing A Loved One: Alannah Pardy

By Alannah Pardy   The story starts 19 years ago when my auntie Michelle was diagnosed with cancer. Although I was just five years old at the time, I saw every piece of heartbreak this horrendous disease caused for my family. Every year since, my whole family travels up to Co. Donegal for her birthdays […]

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The Ultimate Gift You Can Give to Your Family

By Lisa Pahl   “If my dad really loved me, why did he leave me such a mess when he died?” As a hospice social worker, I accompany patients and their families through the dying process. I, along with colleagues, also provide thirteen months of bereavement aftercare support that is provided by hospices to the […]

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My Wife Has Cancer: Duncan F.

By Duncan F.   In 2016, my small family’s life was turned upside down. After a series of tests over the start of the year, in March my wife of 13 years, and mother to my two children aged 11 and five, was diagnosed with a rare form of terminal cancer. Her bloated and painful […]

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I’m Grief: Allie Kilpatrick

By Allie Kilpatrick   I am Allie Kilpatrick, and I am here to share with you my truth. My story is one that’s raw, real, and empowering. Growing up, I was taught the value of honesty, the strength of authenticity, and the impact of standing up for what you believe in. My journey with grief […]

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A Widow’s Heart: Pam Lundell

By Pam Lundell   My husband John Lundell and I were married in 1994 and had some wonderful plans for our future, but as Proverbs 16:9 says, “We can make our plans but the Lord determines our steps.” After a three-year struggle with poor health and various addictions, my husband died suddenly in 2005, and […]

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Growing Through Grief: Christina Slate

By Christina Slate   When the — “That only happens to other people” — happened to me and no one handed me a “What to do when Caleb dies handbook,” all I wanted to do was go to sleep and never wake up again. Unimaginable heartache and unanswerable questions about my son’s suicide took over […]

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