Rachel Engstrom M.S.W., C.H.E.S has written a groundbreaking memoir/self-book on her experience as a young cancer wife then widow. With the increasing number of young women and men becoming widows/widowers due to not only cancer and serious illnesses, but also now Covid 19, this resource is needed more now than ever. Rachel shares her journey in a raw and honest way, while providing step by step resources to help you navigate your own journey. Never before has there been a combination of the personal grit of the healthcare journey, along with steps on how to navigate treatment, diagnosis, the ins and outs of hospital life, employment, finances, insurance, self care, grief and loss and much more.
In this interview, Rachel shares how her husband was 35 when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. On their 8th wedding anniversary, just a year and a half after his diagnosis, he was admitted to the hospital again. He had lots of treatments including bone marrow transplant. Then 2 days after Rachel’s 31st birthday, she had to hold him as he was taken off life support.
She also shares about how she had endometriosis, and just 6 months after her husband’s passing, she had to undergo surgery. Now, not only was she grieving the death of her husband, but also the idea of ever being able to birth a child.
Part of her grief journey was writing a blog about her process and then this became a way to help others. She also joined the Leukemia Society Team and Training, where she trained to run a half marathon to raise funds towards this organization. This became one of her biggest outlets as well as her support group with people that could relate to what she was going through. Currently she is running for the Woman of The Year for the state of Minnesota to raise money for the Leukemia Society.
You can find “Wife, Widow, Now What? How I Navigated the Cancer World and How You Can Too,” here
https://www.amazon.com/Wife-Widow-Now-What-Navigated/dp/B08KBV5DBL/ref=nodl_#immersive-view_1601477867868 ,
as well as follow her on social media here: https://m.facebook.com/wife.widow.now.what/
Here is the Website To donate https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/mn/MN21/
Contact Kendra Rinaldi to be a guest or for coaching: http://www.griefgratitudeandthegrayinbetween.com
Music: http://www.rinaldisound.com
Logo: http://www.pamelawinningham.com
Production: Carlos Andres Londono
