Facing the future with optimism: Claire’s story, one year on

December 2024

Last year, WAY member Claire shared how she planned to navigate her first Christmas and New Year without her husband Jason, finding comfort in travel, self-care and the support of the WAY community. We caught up with her one year on…

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“On 22 December 2022, my robust, healthy husband was rushed into hospital with severe Covid and flu. After treatment and more tests, he was then diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia shortly after Christmas,” Claire says. 

An action plan was put in place and he was moved to another hospital near our home in Birmingham in the early hours of 2 January 2023 to start treatment straight away. Jason was optimistic and in good spirits. But three days later, his condition took a massive turn and he was placed in a coma.

The critical care team worked around the clock, and threw everything they had into getting him well, but sadly he deteriorated even further. 

Life support was turned off at 3.10am on Monday, 23 January 2023. He was 52. 

Jason and I never had kids, but we do have large, loving families and a circle of close friends. We were all there to say goodbye.”

Navigating the first year 

Claire faced many “firsts” without Jason: Valentine’s Day, her birthday, his birthday, their 20th wedding anniversary, and now faces a second Christmas and New Year without him.

“You have to learn coping mechanisms quickly,” says Claire. “How to navigate a life you never wanted...mountains of legal paperwork...other people’s grief...people’s reactions when they see you for the first time...the decision to take off your wedding rings...and even having to tell acquaintances who don’t know and ask, ‘How’s your husband?’ It’s endless and exhausting.”

Facing Christmas and New Year

Claire is as determined as ever to face the future with optimism and honour Jason’s love of Christmas while finding her own way through the festive season.

“Jason loved Christmas – the parties, the food, the drinking, spending time with family and friends, the presents. Family and friends suggested I go away and do something different last year, but I wanted the comfort and reassurance of keeping it the same. I wanted to dress up, laugh, and enjoy Christmas, as we always did. I would want him to do the same if the roles were reversed.”

A big part of Claire’s healing journey has been rediscovering her love of travel, a passion she and Jason shared.

“I work in the travel industry, so I’ve been away quite a bit this year and already have next year’s trips planned,” Claire says. This year she’s been to Florida, Spain and the Rhine, as well as enjoying breaks with friends and family in London and Devon. And she’s already planning next year’s trips.

“I intend to visit all the places Jason and I always talked about going to. When he was diagnosed with AML, he told me that if the worst were to happen, he wanted me to be happy, live my life, and even meet someone else. I’m not ready for that yet, but I’m open to it in the future.”

Over the last year, Claire has also learned to embrace her own company.

“I’ve started using time on my own to relax and focus on self-care,” Claire explains. “It’s taken some time, but I’m getting there. Now, I enjoy pampering myself, cooking good food, reading a great book, watching a favourite film, or just a long dog walk in the fresh air.”

Finding support

Claire joined WAY after her husband died last year and has found the community to be an invaluable source of support.

“WAY has  been really useful and a safe space for me,” she says. “I go onto the WAY online platforms every day, and always find the conversation relevant, useful and sometimes uplifting. If I’m feeling rubbish in the middle of the night, it’s helpful to see that others are facing similar struggles and that I’m not on my own. I’ve also connected with a couple of people who I chat with regularly. It’s so good to talk through things with people who’ve had similar experiences as you.”

Claire remains determined to honour Jason’s memory while embracing the future. “For me, living life to the full means saying yes to more things,” she says. “I keep busy and have a very full life. I owe him that because he can’t do the same and I owe myself that, because I have a life to live.”