Show Notes
A chronic illness can bring with it many devastating lows, but also moments of hope and relief. Anyone who has spent periods of time caring for someone who was ill, will know these range of emotions far too well. This week on Grief Encounters, Sasha and Venetia catch up with fellow podcast and founder of The Shift Andy Gaffney, who is here to speak about his brother Raymond who had to face all of this while battling a rare form of Leukaemia, that sadly took his life in the summer of 2014.
Raymond and Andy have hugely different personalities. As any listener to this week's episode will quickly realise, Andy is an extremely open and conversational guy. Raymond on the other hand was very introverted. By Andy’s admission Raymond always felt quite lost living in Ireland, and it wasn’t until he moved to Japan that he began to flourish in his own personality. In this week’s episode ,Andy brings Sasha and Venetia through the various highs and extreme lows of the last number of years of Raymonds life, battling Leukemia but also having to give up his newly forged life in Asia. He also speaks about his own difficulties with alcohol and coping with the painful grief in the years after Raymonds passing, in what was an extremely compelling and honest interview.
The Shift is an Irish Podcast Network that is aiming to be a sandbox for Irish talent. Well, that or quicksand. Even with serious topics, The Shift aims to stand in the back of the room giggling to itself, a bit like that annoying cousin at a funeral. Check out the www.theshift.ie to find out all about when shows are dropping.
If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/
Music by: Nctrnm
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Grief Encounters
Séamas O’Reilly is a Derry born writer for The Observer and The New York Times, who speaks to Sasha and Venetia about his mother Sheila, who passed away three weeks before his sixth birthday in October 1991. Driving back from the Belfast hospital on the night of her death, his father was faced with the mammoth task of raising 11 children as a loan parent for the first time.
This week's Grief Encounters is a little bit different than usual. Regular listeners of the podcast know that we often focus an episode on the life and loss of someone dear to our guests.
One of the most difficult things a person can experience in their lifetime is hearing the news that a loved one has died both prematurely and unexpectedly.
This week’s guest recently described grief as “the companion you never wanted”, a sentiment that is shared by all of the team involved in making this podcast series. Amanda Grace is the daughter of Brendan Grace, one of Ireland's all-time legendary figures in comedy and entertainment, who’s death in July 2019 saw a special public outcry of grief and love, in a way that very few people garner. Amanda is a former 'rock school rebel' turned spiritual guide. Her offerings in contemplative journaling, coaching & community teach women to marry the powers of creativity and intuition, surrender the never ending pursuit of trying to 'fix' themselves & commit instead to a more intentional healing path, on which they can be unapologetically true to who they are. Her relationship with her father still remains incredibly strong, albeit a different form of relationship since his passing. She discusses carrying on this relationship within your grief, and the importance of speaking about your loved one in the present.
This week’s guest, Justin Caffrey and his wife Beatrice have gone through something no parents should ever have to deal with in their lifetime. The loss of a child.