Show Notes
If you’ve been following or listening to my journey, you’ll know that this whole series was inspired by my desire to understand grief. Losing my mum two years ago turned my world upside down. She was my best friend, my rock, my guide. But of course, she wasn’t just my mum.
I am the older brother to six sisters; Michelle, Tracy, Valerie, Aoife, Paula and Tara. Each of us had our moments with Mum, like Michelle’s morning phone call or Aoife’s tea and chats at the table. We each have our own memories, our own sorrows and our own experiences of grief.
I wanted to sit down with my sisters and have an honest conversation about losing mum, and how we all feel two years later. While this podcast started as an endeavour to discover whether I’ll ever feel like me again, today I ask the even harder question – how can we be us without her.
We start where this journey started, talking about the day she passed.
More from Death Becomes Him
Maria’s loss is so personal. Throughout this entire series we’ve heard from people who have had very unique experiences but Maria’s might be the one that is hardest for most to understand.
When we grieve, there is an overwhelming urge to relieve the pain. Our bodies cry out for comfort, for support, for numbing, for crying, for whatever coping may seem right. And when a death is unexpected, that need for relief is even stronger.
When we talk about loss we talk about the overwhelming sadness, the grief, the shock. But what we often forget is the disruption of death – it’s something that Sinead Barry was forced to face in 2019. On new years days 2019, Sinead’s husband Michael was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. When he died in March, the couple’s new home was half built. Today she talks about the kindness of strangers and how sometimes it really takes a village to help us move forward.
Words fail to describe the tragedy of Geraldine Mullan’s loss. In August 2020, Geraldine and her family were driving home to Moville when the car veered into Lough Foyle. The accident claimed the lives of the three people Geraldine loved most, her husband John and children Tomás and Amelia. Today she talks about her own trauma and how trying to face the fear of the water has brought her closer to her family.
We’re so used to seeing Lisa Cannon composed, together and glammed up to the nines. But behind it all, Lisa has been deeply reflecting on her grief and how it has changed her. Today she opens up about losing her mum Laura 13 years ago to cancer. During that battle, Laura got a beautiful dog Lulu who became such a comfort to her that Laura battled through another year of treatment. This year when Lulu passed, past grief resurfaced and today Lisa opens up about how grief can creep up even years later.