Just Carry On Breathing: A Year Surviving Suicide and Widowhood

Gary Marson's world collapsed in seconds when he returned home from work to find his wife - Louise - a gifted and much-loved doctor, had taken her life at the age of just 40. Just Carry On Breathing is a powerful, raw, touching and insightful account of Gary's subsequent journey through the first year of widowhood. It follows his attempts to deal with his overwhelming grief, adjust to the daily realities of his loss, make sense of the tragedy of suicide, and begin the task of rebuilding his life. The book explores the universal emotions and issues facing widows and widowers and suicide survivors, including confusion, exhaustion, guilt, numbness, and anger. As the year progresses, Gary touches on topics ranging from faith, remembrance, his changing sense of self, mental illness and the bravery of suicide to the practical aspects of bereavement such as the empty bed, the loss of sex, dealing with his wife's possessions, and holidaying alone. It bears witness to a story which is as much about love and hope as grief and mourning; a story of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of tragedy and loss and, ultimately, one which holds open the possibility of adjustment, recovery, and new life. Inspired by Gary's acclaimed blog, and incorporating new and expanded material, unique to the book, Just Carry On Breathing is an essential read for anybody who has lost their partner, particularly at a young age, or been bereaved by suicide, and for those who want to understand the experience of others in these positions. All the author's royalties will be donated to the Louise Tebboth Foundation and WAY Widowed and Young.