A club no one wants to be in because the initiation is too big of a sacrifice: the loss of a child. Unthinkable. Unimaginable. Warrior Moms is local group in north Atlanta filled with strong, courageous, funny, and fiercely loving women who are surviving and thriving amidst horrific grief. This podcast features Amy Durham and Michele Davis, two of the Warrior Moms, who will guide listeners through their grief journey. Every fourth or fifth episode will showcase another Warrior Mom, the traum ...
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This is a podcast FOR bereaved parents BY bereaved parents. Join your host, Jill Sullivan, as she talks with parents who have lost children of all ages to all types of circumstances. This is a podcast of stories ... stories of devastating loss and grief and heartbreak and struggle ... and stories of hope and healing and faith, and yes, even joy. Underlying every conversation will be the hope we have in Jesus Christ, which makes it possible to not just survive the loss of a child, but to live ...
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An outreach of The Empty Chair Endeavor designed to support and equip survivors of child loss in rediscovering life, hope, and joy after unspeakable tragedy. Additionally, our mission involves educating the public about the life altering impact the death of a child has upon survivors, both parents and siblings, and equipping them to better support and minister to them. Join us as guests share their stories of heartbreaking loss and how God has shown up on their journeys to restore hope, mean ...
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Unlocking Joy After Grief | Christian Grief Support, Life After Child Loss, Bereavement, Hope and Healing for Grieving Moms
Courtney Williams | Christian Grief Support
Does the thought of having to live in a world without your child cripple you? Do you lay awake at night with the ”what if’s” and the ”why’s” constantly playing in your mind, wondering if you’ll ever feel peace again? Does everything seem hard, even the little things? Do you just want someone to understand how you feel? I see you friend. In this podcast you will find the hope you’re looking for, the healing you’re longing for, and the key to living again after losing your child, all through t ...
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Life After Child Loss is a personal and deep podcast with focus on, not only my journey, but the journey of other parents all over the world who have lost children of various causes and reasons. It's the grief many don't understand and other's aren't willing to talk about. An in depth, uncensored talk about parent's trying to live a life after they lose their child. Walk with me as I take you on my journey of twists, turns, highs and lows of fighting from merely existing to living, but also ...
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Welcome to the Worst Club Ever - the club of people who have lost a child. We're really glad you found us, and we're so sorry you're here. Losing a child is a horrific experience unlike any other; if you're looking for understanding, resources and community, you've come to the right place. Join bereaved mom and licensed psychotherapist Allie Kramer as she sets out to rebuild her life after the loss of her 4-year-old son to brain cancer. She'll be talking to experts in grief, trauma, medicine ...
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At this point, Hannah was pretty much sailing through her treatments ... in fact, those were her oncologist's exact words! Other than the fact that her hair was still a little thin in spots due to the radiation treatments, nobody would have guessed that she was battling brain cancer. We were feeling really good about where we were at this point in …
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49 | The Moment Peter's Guilt Met Jesus' Goodness
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A few years back I had a fresh revelation of a very familiar story in the Bible. This story reminds us how Jesus meets us in the hardest moments and offers us something incredible in return. He doesn’t leave us alone in this messy life, but is so close to us. If you're looking for hope and a reminder of Jesus' constant presence in your life, this e…
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A Conversation with Kim Erickson, Austin's Mom
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"GOD rescued me when Austin went to Heaven by allowing me to understand that Heaven is a real place, more wonderful than we can imagine." Kim Erickson, noted speaker, and author of "Surviving Sorrow: A Mother's Guide to Living with Loss." Losing her beautiful 3 year old son, Austin, to a strep throat infection in April 2008, Kim's life was shattere…
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Normalizing Grief and Finding Joy with Dr. Natasha Trujillo: Ep 28
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Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy Can you truly find joy after profound loss? Join us as we explore this compelling question with Dr. Natasha Trujillo, a psychologist who has dedicated her career to helping individuals nav…
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219 | Beautifully Broken (Part One) with Pat Elsberry
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I’m so pleased to introduce you to my new friend Pat Elsberry. Her beautiful daughter Melanie died from an accidental drug overdose in February of 2020, after years of battling substance use disorder. In today’s episode, Pat shares the struggles she and Melanie walked through together, and about the day she received a phone call from a police detec…
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Hannah and I were good shopping buddies ... the last year or so that we shopped together, she really took it upon herself to move her mom out of the '80's. She enjoyed critiquing the outfits I tried on and giving me fashion advice. I loved it. One of her favorite shows was "What Not To Wear" (after American Idol, of course!) and she always laughing…
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218 | In the Wrestle (Part 3) with Janet Boxx
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Welcome to the third and final installment of my conversation with Janet Boxx! If you’ve missed the last two episodes, you’ll want to go back and listen to hear the story of her son Cole, who was stillborn in 1992, and the story of her daughters Bethany and Katie, who were killed in a violent car collision in 2013. Today Janet shares more of the wi…
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Six months. Half a year. That's how much time had passed since Hannah's brain surgery. It had been a trying six months, to be sure ... but by this point cancer had subtly slipped into the background of our daily lives. After the initial flurry of radiation treatments and clinic visits, things had settled into a surprisingly comfortable routine. It'…
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48 | How Close is God in Your Grief? 4 Ways He Shows Us He's Near
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There’s a verse that has been such a big part of my grief journey. I have felt the promise that this verse gives us over and over again. However, recently I heard a different take on this verse that blew me away. I couldn’t wait to share it with you. In this episode, we dive into the closeness of the Father in our grief, and I bring you 4 ways you …
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217 | In the Wrestle (Part Two) with Janet Boxx
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Today's episode features a continuation of my conversation with Janet Boxx. Last week, Janet shared about the loss of her son Cole to stillbirth and introduced us to her three daughters, Bethany, Gracen, and Katie. As we pick up the story today, she talks about the violent collision that took place the day after Christmas in 2013, which resulted in…
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Our Story Part 2 with Guest Host Danielle Zapchenck
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A continuation of Greg and Cathy Buffkin's story of losing our beautiful 26 year old son Ryan to suicide in October 2015. Ours is a journey from the brokenness of unspeakable loss and pain to experiencing GOD's goodness as He began making something beautiful from all those broken pieces and restoring meaning, purpose and hope to our lives. Please c…
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I wish I had a "first day of school" picture for the beginning of Hannah's junior year and Bethany's eighth-grade year. But at this point in her cancer treatments, Hannah really did not like having her photograph taken. Her hair was still thin from the radiation rays and she was a little self-conscious about that. I respected her wishes and did not…
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216 | In the Wrestle (Part One) with Janet Boxx
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Janet Boxx has been a friend of mine for almost nine years now, and she has been a consistent source of encouragement in my life. She has experienced the loss of three of her four children, and she will be my guest over the next three episodes as she shares their stories with us and discusses how God has walked with her as she’s wrestled through th…
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In the fall of 2008, Hannah was ready to get the new school year underway. She would be a junior this year, and was anxious to get it behind her so she could start her senior year, graduate (as valedictorian, of course!) and go on to Ouachita Baptist University the next fall. Brain cancer was just a blip on the screen of her life at this point. She…
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47 | Need Peace in Your Grief? 15 Promises You Can Claim Today!
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Feeling peace in the middle of your grief can seem impossible. However, when we look in the Bible it’s full of promises of peace that we can claim over our grief and pain and sadness. I’ve experienced this peace in my own grief journey, the peace that doesn’t make sense. In today’s episode, I share a time that I felt this peace. And then we’ll go i…
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215 | Through the Valley (Part Two) with Jim and Patty Polk
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Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Daniel’s parents, Jim and Patty Polk. As a pastor, Jim brings a unique perspective to our discussion, and as we begin this episode, he is addressing the re-examination of his faith that resulted from Daniel’s sudden and unexpected death. From there, we move on to discuss biblical lament, how…
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Our Story with guest-host Danielle Zapchenck
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In this 2 part interview, our friend Danielle Zapchenck , host of The Parable Podcast, guest-hosts for me as we dive into the journey my wife Cathy and I have been living since October 25, 2015 when our beautiful 26 year old son Ryan took his own life. While our story is one of deep tragedy and brokenness, it's more than that. It's one where GOD en…
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The beginning of August 2008 brought a flurry of back-to-school activity. Hannah was excited about beginning her junior year of high school, getting her cancer treatments behind her, and moving forward with life in general. Things seemed to be moving along just as they should be with her treatment protocol, and we were savoring every moment we had …
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46 | Rediscovering Who You Are After Losing Your Child
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The journey of rediscovering who you are after losing your child is such a process. And it can seem overwhelming. In today’s episode, I break down how to start this journey into two phases with steps that you can start taking today in the process of rediscovering the new you after child loss. This is such a process, friend. It won’t happen overnigh…
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214 | Through the Valley (Part One) with Jim and Patty Polk
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It was just a normal Wednesday when Jim Polk and his 29-year-old son Daniel walked into a university concert venue together. What unfolded over the next few moments would change Daniel's parents' lives forever and lead them to completely re-examine their faith. As a pastor and pastor's wife, Jim and Patty Polk bring a unique perspective to our conv…
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Hannah was amazingly patient with most aspects of her regularly-scheduled appointments at Children's Hospital, and never complained about the endless blood draws, blood pressure checks, and repetitive questions from her doctors and nurses. But she hated the antibiotic breathing treatment she had to endure every month, which required her to be zippe…
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45 | Why is God’s Word So Powerful? (And How it Can Help You Through Those Waves of Grief)
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We all know how powerful God’s word is, especially in helping us make it through our grief journey. But why? Why is it so powerful? In this episode, I go into 4 reasons why God’s word has so much power and how you can use it to help you make it through hard situations that come up in your life and in your grief journey. 🔗Links Mentioned in Episode:…
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213 | Past "What Ifs" and Future "What Ifs" with Cody and April Quillen
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I believe every bereaved parent asks the question, "What If ... ?". Cody and April Quillen bring a new perspective to that question in today's episode, which is a continuation of our conversation from last week. If you missed last week’s episode, I encourage you to go back and listen to hear the story of their harrowing escape from Mexico when thei…
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From a Crisis of Faith to a Discovery of Hope with Teresa Davis, R.N., Andrew's Mom
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What do we do when our deepest fear suddenly becomes our new reality? How do we even begin to process and navigate the pain and grief we never could have imagined? This is where Teresa Davis found herself on November 28, 2018 when she learned that her 32 year old son, Andrew had died when the plane he was piloting crashed in a very remote area, lea…
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Hannah approached every MRI with remarkable composure. She never needed any kind of sedation ... just her headphones and a Carrie Underwood CD. The biggest stress for her was the insertion of the IV because she was such a "hard stick". I've wondered if maybe she didn't really understand the life-or-death nature of these scans, or if she was just th…
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44 | 4 Things You Need to Prioritize in your Grief Journey
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Grief affects us in so many different ways - emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually. Our entire being is affected. I believe there are certain things we need to prioritize in our healing journey. Today I’m bringing you 4 things to prioritize. While these aren’t the only 4 things, I wanted to bring these to you today as I think they are some…
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212 | Bringing Catie Home with Cody and April Quillen
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Cody and April Quillen were enjoying a long-awaited family vacation in Mexico when their daughter Catie experienced a serious health crisis. In today's episode they share the harrowing tale of their experience with the Mexican healthcare system, culminating in them having to kidnap their daughter from the hospital to get her back to the United Stat…
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As we celebrated the life of her great grandmother, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through Hannah's mind. Was she thinking of her own mortality as she considered the life and death of her great grandmother? She had heard what the doctor said about glioblastoma on the day of her diagnosis. Did she wonder if her own funeral might be next? …
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43 | How I Made it Through My Son's 7 Year Heaven Anniversary (And How You Can Too)
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Our child’s heaven anniversary is the hardest day of the year. The day our babies left this earth and went to heaven is a no good, awful day. So how are you supposed to make it through? I recently went through my Sam’s heaven anniversary and I made it through the day. So I wanted to make this episode to share with you what I did to give you some id…
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211 | "Sifted" (Part Two) with Karen Harmening
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Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Karen Harmening, blogger and author of the new book “Sifted: Diary of a Grieving Mother”. If you are walking the journey of child loss, you will find something in our chat that will encourage you today. We are picking up right where we left off last week as we discuss entries from this diary…
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"Walking Through Fire" with Vaneetha Risner, Paul's Mom
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In this episode, well known author and speaker Vaneetha Risner and I talk about her long journey of loss and suffering beginning with childhood polio, several miscarriages, the death of her infant son Paul, post-polio syndrome, betrayal and abandonment by her first husband, and caring for young daughters alone while battling illness. We talk about …
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During the summer of 2008, we had the opportunity to take a family vacation to Nashville, Tennessee. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel and enjoyed some good restaurants, toured the Country Music Hall of Fame, visited a botanical garden, shopped at a big mall where we fed manta rays, and saw the sights of Nashville. During the time we were there, we c…
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42 | 4 Ways to Overcome Fear After Losing Your Child
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Fear is one of the emotions I have really struggled with after losing Sam. If you struggle with fear as well, you know how crippling it can be. But God has not left us to deal with this emotion on our own! He’s equipped us with things we can do, weapons we can use, against our fears. In this episode, I go into what causes our fear (and no, it’s not…
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210 | "Sifted" (Part One) with Karen Harmening
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When my friend Karen Harmening announced a few months ago that she was publishing a book born from her experience with the loss of her daughter Sarah, I was thrilled … not just for myself, but for all my bereaved parent friends who will benefit from the wisdom and insight the Lord has given her through her journey of grief. She will be my guest ove…
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Continued platelet problems and lower blood counts overall led to more delays in Hannah's treatment. While Hannah enjoyed the break and a little bit of normalcy, we were concerned about the impact these delays could be having on keeping her cancer at bay. We tried to put these concerns, and her upcoming MRI, out of our minds and just enjoy our summ…
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41 | The Typical Advice That Doesn’t Work for Grieving Moms (And What Works Instead)
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Throughout my own grief journey, I’ve received advice that just didn’t fit after losing Sam. This type of grief that we’re having to walk through, the grief of losing a child, is just not right. It shouldn’t be this way. And so the “typical” advice that we might receive just doesn’t apply to us as grieving moms. In this episode I bring you 4 pieces…
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209 | Living in the Mystery (Part Two) with Keith and Shawnda Freer
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Today's episode is a continuation of my conversation with Keith & Shawnda Freer, whose daughter Meghan died by suicide very unexpectedly in the spring of 2018. We pick up right where we left off last week as we extend our discussion to cover a wide variety of topics including the attributes and character of God, the marriage relationship after chil…
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Vacation and Grief: Ep 27
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Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy Planning a summer vacation should be joyful, right? But what happens when the simple thought of packing your bags brings on a wave of anxiety and sadness? Join us as we unravel our own emo…
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A Conversation with Jenny Leavitt, Jacob's Mom
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Every year, approximately 11,000 people are killed by drunk drivers, an astounding number. Jenny Leavitt's 17 year old son, Jacob, was one of them in August, 2015. Miraculously, her 29 year old son, Caleb, survived, but was left with catastrophic injuries requiring a long period of healing and recovery. How do parents survive and navigate something…
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If I had known how important platelets were going to become in the life of our family, I probably would have paid closer attention in my junior high science class! Sixteen years ago today, Hannah's bloodwork showed a continued downward trend in her platelet levels, leading to the postponement of her next chemotherapy treatment. While Hannah was hap…
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40 | How to Plan Your Summer Memories with Intention (Plus Some Ideas To Get You Started!)
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Summer is here! Summer is a great time to make memories with your family. And as we all know, memories are so precious. Memories are things we can hold on to for years and years to come. However, most of the time memories won’t just happen - we have to be intentional in planning for them! I don’t want you to get to the end of your summer and realiz…
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208 | Living in the Mystery (Part One) with Keith and Shawnda Freer
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My friends Keith and Shawnda Freer join me today for a conversation that will continue over the next two episodes. Their daughter Meghan very unexpectedly took her own life in 2018, and since that time, they’ve found themselves living in the mystery of God’s sovereignty. They are the founders of GriefHope, a Christ-centered ministry that provides e…
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Another Grandma and Grandpa Camp was in the books and while Hannah clearly enjoyed the time with her grandparents and cousins, I could tell she was glad to be home. Monday was a clinic day, and her bloodwork revealed a fairly precipitous drop in her platelet levels, which was not entirely unexpected with the higher dose of chemo she had just comple…
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Sixteen years ago today, Hannah took her ACT test. She had just returned from her "Grandma & Grandpa" Camp week, and was pretty worn out, but she was adamant about taking that test. She had just completed her sophomore year of high school, and planned to take it several times over the next couple of years, hopefully increasing her score each time s…
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207 | "In Grief" (Part Two) with Joni Robbins
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I am pleased to have Joni Robbins as my guest again today. She is the author of "In Grief: A Mother's Fight to Choose Joy", and the mom of two sons, Anson and Ethan. In last week's episode, Joni shared the story of her "gentle giant", Ethan, and how he lost his life due to an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound. Today, we talk about the differe…
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Navigating the Devastation of Suicide with Tobe and Amy Witmer, Abbie’s parents
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As the day began to unfold on June 28, 2023, life as they knew it would never again be the same for Tobe and Amy as they learned their precious, beautiful 28 year old daughter Abbie had taken her own life after a long battle with depression and PTSD. Tobe and Amy had witnessed the pain and suffering of others as they grieved their loved ones in his…
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I never knew that life with cancer could be so "normal." On the days that Hannah was treatment-free, life seemed to go on as it always had. It was summertime, so we were moving at a little bit slower pace, but there were still school workshops to attend, dentist appointments to keep, cheerleading routines to practice, and basketball camps to sweat …
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39 | 5 Things I Did to Bring Joy to my Life After Losing my Child
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Feeling joy after losing your child can seem impossible. How in the world are we going to be able to feel joy and happiness after walking through such deep grief? I feel you friend. I was there wondering that same exact thing after losing Sam. But I’m here on the other side looking back to you saying that you CAN feel joy and happiness again! And h…
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206 | "In Grief" (Part One) with Joni Robbins
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I'm pleased to welcome Joni Robbins, author of “In Grief – A Mother’s Fight to Choose Joy” to the podcast today! Her son Ethan was a gentle giant and a friend to many, who dreamed of being in law enforcement someday. He died at the age of 17 in a tragic accident in their home in the spring of 2021. In this first half of our two-part conversation, J…
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Round One of Hannah's oral chemotherapy treatments was complete, and it felt good to get it behind us. It had been rough ... no doubt about that ... but we had a nice stretch of treatment-free days ahead of us now before Round Two would begin. We were encouraged. We could do this for eleven more months if that's what it took for Hannah to be healed…
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