In this first episode of Lost & Found with Frankie, I sit down with a very special guest - my amazing mum, Debbie. My mum is someone who has journeyed with grief more than most, and she has so much wisdom to share for anyone on their own journey with grief right now.

In today’s episode, she opens up about losing her dad unexpectedly on Christmas day when she was just 21 years old.

We talk about:

• Her experience of losing a parent at such a young age, what she found helped her cope, and her reflections on this from her perspective now as a mum herself who has gone on to have further losses in her life

• How a loss such as this changes your family dynamics and how different people within the family inevitably deal with grief differently,

• The messy emotions that come with grief - guilt, anger, fear - and why it’s okay to feel all of it

• Debbie’s experience of getting married without her dad by her side

• The importance of talking to people about your grief and keeping their memory alive, taking them with you through the rest of your life 

• Why you should give yourself space and time to grieve, respecting and honouring your grief, without feeling pressured to "move on".

• Debbie’s advice for young people dealing with grief, including the importance of talking to people about your grief, and honouring and respecting the place you are at in your journey.

And so much more. 

This is part one of my conversation with my mum, so please tune in next week for part two of the conversation, where we discuss our shared experience of losing my brother, her son, Matt. 

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