The loss of a child, well I just cannot imagine the pain. I cannot imagine finding the strength to write about it but I was emailed about a book from Shirley Enebrad. Now I haven’t read the book but wanted to share some of the story and lessons from cancer

More children die from cancer than all of the other diseases combined,

“The flip side of placing a high value on human life is the fear of dying,” said Enebrad, author of Over the Rainbow Bridge “My son, Cory, never looked at that side of the coin. …read more

Lance Armstrong has shown us all how to conquer our fears, how to face what life has thrown at us and how to beat pain as well as cancer. I have been touched by the pain people are feeling over these weeks as anniversaries of our loved ones death appear on the calendar.
I saw this quote from Lance Armstrong and thought it might helps us all realise that although the pain of loss is always there, that pain is like a flowing roller coaster. We have a choice…we can give into that pain, or we can fight it and use …read more

I was reading about Jack Tweed who is the husband of reality TV star Jade Goody who at the age of 27 lost her fight against cancer this week. According to reports he is struggling to be alone in his grief.
There is a fine line between enjoying solitude and feeling the depth of loneliness.I know the importance of checking whether you are using the solitude to hide from life, to hide from the hurt of grief. I know how sometimes it is easier to dissolve into a world of solitude…rather than having to join the world again. But beware that …read more

This weekend I was babysitting for my friend who lost her husband last year through cancer. After about an hour I realised that  her little boy was looking at me with a kind of puzzled look on his face. I brought him onto my knee and asked him what he was thinking.
He said “I am worried about Daddy. I heard you and mum talking about how prices are rising, how expensive it is for us to be warm in our house, well Mum has a job but Daddy doesn’t as he can’t work anymore, how is he going to manage …read more

I am still at the hospital awaiting tests today, however I am surrounded by some wonderful people – and many of whom are on their own after the losing their husbands. It has been heart warming listening to the stories and also asking for some tips on how we can all cope with our grief.Today I was talking to Connie who lost her husband 2 years ago to cancer.  I asked her for some advice to share and she said“Talk more than you think you should, talk more than you think you want to. But when you talk, talk in …read more

I suffer from mood swings and I believe that the food we put into our body, help us cope with depression. I thought I would Google to see which foods come up as the best to beat depression – here they are

Fish oils – Contain omega-3 fatty acids. Research has shown that depressed people often lack a fatty acid known as EPA. Participants in a 2002 study featured in the Archives of General Psychiatry took just a gram of fish oil each day and noticed a 50-percent decrease in symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, unexplained feelings of sadness, suicidal …read more

I have been so overcome with the tributes that I have received from you all, here are some more from readers and Dad would love them! Grief really seems to bring out the most wonderful words…
 Louise wrote
“I saw him for the first time in a sports arena. I caught his eye, and it was true love at first sight. He melted me with his eyes, I will never forget that first time that we met. Thirty years of love and happiness, I lost my wonderful David to cancer. I watched him waste a way, yet the love in his eyes …read more

I believe in community and yesterday I talked about how a cancer patient has built a community around blogging. A comment from a reader lead me to   another blog that helps people come to terms with grief, death and bereavement.
I love bringing tips and help to you all and if you know of a site that can help widows, widowers or people that have lost a long term partner then let me know. I believe the more we share, the more we understand our feelings, the more we think about how to move forward into a scary future then …read more

I saw that Kelly Brook who is competing on the UK version of Strictly Come Dancing has just lost her father to cancer
“Grief-stricken Kelly Brook plans to dedicate her next performance in Strictly Come Dancing to her father after he died on Monday.
Miss Brook, 28, said she was determined to plough on with the show because it was what her father Kenneth Parsons would have wanted.
Scaffolder Mr Parsons died at the family home in Kent at the age of 57 after a lengthy battle with lung cancer.”
Wow, I remember losing Dad – 8.08pm on 5 November 2003 to be precise …read more

I was so sad to see the BBC news and hear about the death of Jane Tomlinson. The tributes were led by Gordon Brown who said ….
“he is “saddened” by the death of Jane Tomlinson following her seven-year battle with cancer.
He paid tribute to the charity fund-raiser’s “amazing spirit and strength” following her death on Monday at the age of 43. The married mother-of-three died at St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds.She was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2000 and told she had just six months to live.”
Jane’s only desire was to raise the awareness of cancer, she spent …read more