Bringing people together: Lee’s story

October 2025

Lee joined WAY two years ago, six months after his wife, Charlie, died at the age of 44. Like so many WAY members, Lee – who’s based in Romford in Essex – was trying to find his feet again and connect with others who understood what he was going through after being widowed before his 50th birthday.

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“Charlie was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in November 2020,” he explained. “We have two beautiful children, Nathan, who’s now 14, and Leila, now 9. Charlie’s journey was a monstrous one. Sadly she passed away with me, her mother and brother by her side in April 2023.”

Joining WAY was a lifeline for Lee. He started chatting online to other members whose partners had died at about the same time as Charlie. He couldn’t find any local in person meet ups that worked for him. So, together with another member, Sarah, from Peterborough, he decided to organise a meet up in London and open it up to other WAY members.

“The first event we planned was near King’s Cross, on a Saturday afternoon so people could come and go as they pleased,” he explained. “I posted the details on the WAY member hub and in the Facebook group, and honestly, I wasn’t sure how many people would turn up. But 15 people came along – from Ipswich, Peterborough, London and beyond.” 

“It was a great turnout,” Lee recalls. “And we were there until the pub closed! Some said afterwards, ‘I haven’t laughed so much for a long time.’ Since that first one, we’ve now had four meet-ups – in Greenwich, North London. They’ve all been great and we’ve got another one coming up on 22 November.”

“We’ve got a few regular faces now, but there’s never any pressure,” says Lee. “You can come to one, or all of them, or none for a while. I want anyone and everyone to feel like they’re not alone. This is a chapter no one else wants to be on. But if I can help one other person, I can help myself too. Charlie would be in awe of what I’m doing.” 

“If you’re thinking about joining a WAY meet-up – or even setting one up yourself – just do it. It’s lovely to have the opportunity to put the smile back on people’s faces.”