Reflections on Being a Widowed Dad with Gary Ireland, Esq.

I had such a great discussion with Gary Ireland for this episode. Gary is a widowed dad of two young adults, and he lives in New York. His wife, Nancy, died a little over a year ago. I’m grateful he was willing to come on the show and talk about his journey and his reflections as a widowed dad.

Some topics Gary and I discuss include:

• Their family’s experience with his wife’s cancer, starting when their kids were in middle school;

• Sneaking their dog into the hospital to visit his wife;

• Their experience with Gilda’s Club, both before his wife died and after, for grief support;

• Their family project of advocating for full inclusion of girls in the Boys Scouts of America, and how this work carries on his wife’s legacy in his kids; and

• Spending time with his young adult kids during the pandemic.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Gary Ireland.

Links & resources for this episode

• Gilda’s Club New York City

• Teen Who Fought To Join Boy Scouts Attends State Of The Union

• Contact Gary

More links for listeners

• Download: Kids & Grief: What You Need to Know

• Article: I’m a Widowed Mom: Here Are My 3 Tips for COVID-19 Widows

• Book: Widowed Parents Unite: 52 Tips to Get Through the First Year, from One Widowed Parent to Another

Thank you sponsors & partners:

Help Texts - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://helptexts.com/jennylisk

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

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