Category: death
-
IMPORTANT: Event update
In light of the weather, we’ve made some last-minute changes to the event—which almost guarantees a perfect fall day! Please note the new event location and, if you’re able, swing by Ramón’s bridge on your way to or from Laundry Events. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/5378961935474593
-
Remembering Ramón
I think we’ve all had the same pressing question lately: How do I live a life that’s so amazing they name a bridge after me? Just kidding. But, as we near next weekend’s bridge dedication ceremony and after-party, it’s really hitting me that Ramón is getting a freakin’ bridge named after him. In his relatively…
-
Stories of Grief: Drew Dotson
After losing Ramón, I began connecting with other widows on Instagram. (See? Social media has some benefits!) I stumbled upon the Forced Joy Project, created by cancer survivor and widow, Dana Frost. Dana graciously gave me an opportunity to share my story of grief. Here’s an excerpt: What do you want others to know about…
-
October 1: Save the date!
Several months ago, a *quite* special resolution was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly: HR 918: Judge Ramón Alvarado Bridge; Gwinnett County; dedicate I know you’ve been holding your breath, so I’m here to say that it’s officially official. Ramón’s getting a bridge named after him! Details are still coming together (thanks to some of…
-
Role reversal
EXTRA! EXTRA! I recently wrote a guest post for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Here’s where to find it: Role Reversal: When Someone With CF Becomes a Caregiver
-
This is a shout-out to my grievers.
Where all my grievers at? Can I get a BOO-HOO? Just kidding. But if I were to craft a rap about grief, it would definitely start off like that. I’ve been feeling a bit more grief-y than usual lately, and I can think of several practical reasons for that. First, my good friend Lindsey’s husband,…
-
How’s my happiness level?
Today, when setting up an online account, I was prompted to select a security question. The first one on the list was, “In what city or state did you meet your spouse/significant other?” I automatically moved past it, instead selecting “What street did you live on in third grade?” (and, if you know, shut your…
-
Open doors
One day last June while I was staying in the hospital with Ramón, I decided to watch the video of his swearing in ceremony. Since he was minimally conscious, I thought it would be good for him to hear familiar voices, including his own, on what he deemed one of the best days of his…
-
That’s how this works
This day last year, Ramón walked out of our house for the last time. In the days leading up to his transplant admission, he spent more time than usual loving on the dogs. He assured them how much he loved them and said what I deemed—even at the time—to be his final goodbyes. It was…
-
Sealed with an X
In the fifth year of marriage, I’d finally gotten the hang of identifying as “married” after never having envisioned that for myself. Now I find myself checking another box. It took a fraction of a second to create that X, yet the route that it signifies spanned almost 9 years. Sealed with an X.
-
Thank you for everything
A friend gifted me this leather bracelet in August. She conspired to get a sample of Ramón’s handwriting, and my mom had a note from Ramón thanking my parents for everything they’d done to help us since his diagnosis. I first opened the bracelet the day we got back to Atlanta after scattering Ramón’s ashes…
-
Always a rainbow
When home between hospitalizations in late March, I heard a song that resonated with me. As my anxiety about COVID-19 and transplant steadily escalated, I kept wondering why life couldn’t be easier. The song, “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves, is about believing things will improve despite the storms that enter your life. In those unnerving days…
-
Befores and afters
A few weeks ago, two of my long-time cohorts stopped by to enjoy drinks and conversation—and bring dinner (Yum!). My friend Amanda helped me and Ramón buy our house in 2018, and we were reminiscing about how painfully easy we were as clients in that we had no real must-haves or dealbreakers. When looking at…
-
One week of widowhood
It’s been one week since we said goodbye to Ramón, and it’s been more than 14 weeks since I said farewell to the version of Ramón I’d known since December 2011. In many ways, I’ve been grieving since April, but the sorrow has taken a different shape now, knowing that the possibility of recovery no…
-
Day ???
Many of you have followed our story and its constant ups and downs, particularly since Ramón’s chemo/radiation/transplant complication-induced cardiac arrest on April 19, 2020. Though it felt like we’d finally settled into an “up” after a tumultuous three months, Ramón died yesterday at 10:52 a.m. Things were going well [enough] until suddenly they weren’t. A…