“We didn’t have two pennies to rub together, so our ‘treat’ was Arby’s. It was so cold, and the employees were trying to kick a homeless man out of the restaurant. Matt walked to the register, bought him a meal, sat it down in front of him, and told him to eat real slow and stay as long as he wanted. There was no one who was immune to the goodness of Matt’s heart.”
‘Cancer didn’t stop him from being the best dad. If anything, it magnified who he was and what was important.’: Young widow shares husband’s selflessness, despite battling cancer
‘Why mommy, why my daddy?’ He had an accident. ‘I’m going to do one thing for us. Get married.’: After ‘catastrophic brain injury,’ woman marries fiancé in ICU before his passing
“At 5.30 a.m., a friend was in our bedroom. ‘Wake up, he’s hurt his head!’ His skull was shattered. I collapsed on him and cried like I never cried in my life. How was I going to tell the boys what happened to their daddy? I rang the ICU to tell them of my wishes.”
‘I didn’t know that about you,’ said a patient at work. I was embarrassed to be placed in the same category.’: Widow shares why she carries late fiancé’s Narcotics Anonymous key chains
“My first reaction was to be defensive; my second was the opposite. The second reaction came when I realized why I carry these key chains. Jamie was 5 years sober when he bought a pill he didn’t know was fentanyl, and he died. Jamie was 29 years old. He was a dad to five kids.”
‘You ghosted me when my husband died. You told me I was thinking too much about myself.’: Widow hurt by friends who abandoned her and broke promises
“I don’t know why you made promises and didn’t follow through. I needed my friend… but you were gone.”
‘I can’t wait to have a fire!’ Suddenly, the car was sliding. My husband said, ‘Oh crap.’ I’d regret those words forever.’: Young widow shares grief journey after losing husband in car accident
“I crunched glass between my teeth. I realized it was silent in the car. I screamed like I never had before, a scream so loud it still haunts me today.”
‘Watching my husband die in front of me was a defining moment in my life, but it is not the moment that defines the rest of my life.’: Young widow says loss has taught her to ‘love harder than ever before’
“Six months ago, my whole world came crashing down around me. My husband suffered right in front of me. Losing him at a young age broke my heart, but it didn’t break my spirit.”
‘Scott needed his tonsils removed. ‘I feel nervous.’ Hours later, I got a text from his brother: ‘I’m so sorry.’ He had to be playing a prank.’: Woman loses husband to sleep apnea during tonsillectomy
“Scott went in for his surgery and FaceTimed me when he got out. He said in his hoarse post-surgery voice, ‘I’m so sorry I am not there to help you and your mom right now. A few hours later, I got a text from his brother. ‘Mel, I’m so sorry. Scott didn’t make it. I’m so sorry.’ Huh? I didn’t know what he was talking about.”
‘He glared at me. ‘I didn’t lie to you.’ Ben wasn’t supposed to drink on his medications. ‘He has a gun!’ We heard a single shot.’: 24-year-old wife loses husband to suicide, ‘One breath at a time, you get through it’
“Ben was the type of guy who had a specific place for his shoes, wallet, and keys. When I came home from a 12-hour shift in the ER, my husband didn’t greet me like normal. I found his shoes randomly strewn across the kitchen, his clothes heaped in a pile. He was lying atop all the covers on our bed. ‘Are you okay?’ No response. ‘Babe? Did you spill some water in the bathroom?’ He became enraged. I called my mom and began to pack an overnight bag. My mom had been on the phone with me and was hearing all of it. She hung up and called the police.”
‘Are you Emmett’s wife? Ma’am, there’s been an accident. Your husband was killed.’ Heart stops. Murdered. Affair. Gun. Father of 5.’: Woman learns to be grateful for ‘fragile blessings’ after husband murdered by his lover’s spouse, ‘There is still hope’
“Something was so wrong. I held my screaming baby and I bounced. My phone sat nearby, silent. Bouncing, screaming, tears rolling down my cheeks. At 10 p.m., I was overcome by sheer panic. I called and texted him many times. No response. 1 a.m. Knock, knock. I couldn’t breathe. All the secrets were finally being told to me. ‘Ma’am, your husband was killed at Walgreens.’ Heart stops. I don’t remember a single word, just pieces. Murdered. Affair. Gun. Father of 5.”
‘What does DTF mean? You swipe which way? Woah, you just sent me a pic of your privates.’ Dating life as a widow is terrifying.’: Young widow recalls first heartbreak post-loss of husband, ‘It stings like hell’
“Mr. Heartbreak knew all the right things to say. He came off very genuine. We clicked immediately, talked for hours on the phone. The first time we met, I was so nervous. He had these intense eyes that looked right through me. After having a drink, we made out in his car like teenagers. He pushed my hair back from my face, told me how beautiful I was. I let myself go there. Then, just like that, ‘This is not light and fun anymore,’ he said.”
