On December 22, over a year since she found out she had breast cancer, Heather Lindsay of Connecticut, U.S.A married David Mosher. Tragically, within 24 hours, family members found the new bride dead from her battle with cancer.
Exchanging her hospital gown for a lovely wedding dress, Lindsay was married in the hospital's chapel. With David by her side – as he had been through it all – the bride said 'I Do' in a ceremony with family and friends.
"She was gorgeous and she just felt like home to me," David told NBC.
David proposed shortly after Heather had been diagnosed with breast cancer because he wanted her to know she would not have to go through any of it alone.
The couple first met in a swing class they shared. David asked Heather out, and soon began dating regularly. They had been together for a year and a half when Heather found out about her condition.
Through it all, Heather had David, as well as other close friends, to help her through tough times.
"She was so hopeful," Heather’s good friend, Christine Karas, told NBC. "The way we would talk about it, you always kind of felt this isn’t it."
The couple were to wed on December 30, 2017, but Heather’s condition was worsening, so they decided to move up their wedding date by a week.
New bride dead within 24 hours...
Eighteen hours after getting her dream wedding, Heather passed away.
“The last words she spoke were her vows,” recalled one of the bridesmaids in an interview with local Connecticut news site WFSB.
Heather was laid to rest on December 30. Everyone's heart broke looking at the new bride dead and silent.
Our hearts go out to Heather Lindsay’s family and friends and to her husband David Mosher.
Coping with the loss of a spouse or partner
Whether married for a short while or for several decades, the biggest challenge for a bereaved spouse, says psychologist Romeo Vitelli, is “overcoming loneliness and moving forward.”
The most important first step to get through spousal bereavement is to reach out and not allow oneself to be isolated from the world. One study found links between marital closeness and the level of loss felt upon the death of a spouse.
Getting the right social support is essential to dealing with losing someone you dearly love.
Grief poses many health risks, such as depression, dementia, and shorter life expectancy. Because of these, it becomes imperative for grieving spouses to get professional help.
Though medication can help minimise short-term sadness, therapy and counselling offer more long-term ways of coping.
Past studies have found that losing a spouse increases risky behaviour, like smoking as well as alcohol or drug abuse.
The deep grief that comes with losing a spouse can be pervasive and paralysing. It can last for years and years, but it can get easier to move on over time.
sources: The Huffington Post, NBC Conneticut, Psychology Today
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