From Shadows to Light with Ros McMaster & Friends

In August 2019, Ros McMaster was invited to speak on ABC Radio Brisbane.  Here, she shares her experience from a marriage breakdown, through her own cancer, then to nursing her ex-husband after he was diagnosed with his cancer.  Caring for the man who had once broken her heart was the most rewarding of experiences and allowed her to move, finally, into forgiving him and herself. To find out more about Ros's journey, read her self-help healing blogs, or order her memoir, please visit https://www.rosmcmaster.com/

In 2016, I was diagnosed with stage 4 Bowel Cancer.  Two years prior, my marriage of 30 years ended, and in 2017, my ex passed away 5 weeks after his own diagnosis of Lung Cancer.  Despite all of this, I have remained upbeat and positive.  In this podcast, I share my attitude regarding the prognosis and the gifts I've found in having cancer.  Yes, there are many.  I hope it inspires you to cope better with your own challenges, whatever they may be.  If you'd like to chat further or read the full blog... you can reach me via my web site https://www.rosmcmaster.com/

In 2016 I was diagnosed with stage 4 Bowel Cancer.  This came within a year of my 30yr marriage ending, and then my ex husband passed away in 2017 just 5 weeks after his own cancer diagnosis.  Do I feel like a victim?  No way.  Cancer has given me a new lease on life, and allowed me to live more authentically for the first time in my life.  I hope that in listening to my journey through my diagnosis, you will be inspired to find hope where you may previously have thought there was none.  If you want to talk more, please get in touch with me through my web site www.idleconversations.com

In this series on Grief, Julia shares her story of losing her father through Ambiguous Loss, a state whereby people are physically present but psychologically absent.  They are ‘here, but not here.’  As in Julia's case, ambiguous loss related to her father's gradual decline into mental illness.  The language of grief need not be reserved for just the dead, but it is easier to understand it that way. It is more rational. In a state of ambiguous loss, people feel that they can’t rightfully grieve because although it feels like a loss, it isn’t really one.  Yet here she was, having occupied a grief-filled, ambiguous in-between space, without even being aware of its existence. Julia discusses openly how she is making sense of and coping with her grief.  You can also read her written story, by logging onto the website https://www.rosmcmaster.com/

In this episode on Grief, Stacey McMaster discusses her experience dealing with her grief after the passing of her father Andrew.  Specifically, she offers tips regarding what she needed most from the people around her to help her feel supported and less alone.  You can also tune into  Episode 1 "Grieving the Loss of a Parent", where Stacey discusses how she navigated to debth of grief after her father passed away.  When she was 22, Stacey's parents separated after 30 years of marriage.  Two years later, in 2016, her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, then in 2017, her father passed away, only 5 weeks after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.  If you'd like to know about Ros's cancer journey, you will find her blog at https://www.rosmcmaster.com/

In 2014, aged 22, Stacey's parents separated after 30 years of marriage.  Two years later, in 2016, her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, then in 2017, her father passed away, only 5 weeks after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.  In this 2-part series on Grief, Stacey discusses her experience dealing with her grief after the passing of her father Andrew. She offers insights into the emotions she experienced, and tools that helped her cope along the way. Ros has now published a memoir about her story in which the 3 siblings talk about their journey through grief - each handling loss in very different ways (visit Ros's web page for details).  If you'd like to connect with Stacey or Ros, you can contact them through https://www.rosmcmaster.com/