Even after forty years working in mental health, nothing could have prepared me for the pain of losing my husband. Like me, he was a mental health nurse. We met in the secure wards of Rampton Hospital in England, where humour was often the only light in dark places. Together we created a life anchored in family and love, bound by our shared passion for travel, motorbike riding and a deep empathy for the struggles of the human mind. Life wasn't supposed to be like this. We had a future mapped out-one that was suddenly ripped away. When things went dreadfully wrong, everything I thought I knew about grief and healing was tested. I couldn't even begin to mourn him properly amid the fallout and the accusations that followed. This is a story of us-of our life together, and of what came after. A journey through shock, truth and rebuilding. Through tears, guilt and humiliation-and the unexpected strength found in the support of amazing friends. Out of this, friendships were forged and strengthened, and slowly, healing and hope began to return.
Caroll Hopkinson
978-1-923583-69-6