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The most difficult thing for Kathy Ryan when she was diagnosed with Younger Onset Alzheimers Disease was the scary and sad reality that at some stage in the future, she will look at her two boys Andrew and Matt, and not know who they are. Over 5 years ago In January 2014, Kathy was diagnosed with with the terminal illness, and in this week’s episode of Grief Encounters, she speaks to Sasha and Venetia about grieving herself - a topic that is yet to appear on the podcast. Kathy has experienced difficulties with memory loss since she was in her forties, but never anticipated that it could be anything related to the illness that now burdens many aspects of her life. That was until her father was diagnosed with vascular dementia and through her own research, noticed she shared some of the same symptoms with him. Since then, Kathy has dedicated her life in to safeguarding her future as putting huge amounts of time and work into advocacy on behalf of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland. Kathy’s story is inspirational, and in the episode she describes vividly about what effects the illness have on her everyday life, and how important small acts of  kindness and patience can be towards those living with the disease. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

On the podcast so far, we have mentioned many benefits the internet can have if you find yourself in grief. From meeting other members of “the club”, to finding practical tips or advice, there is a lot of material available online that can be helpful. That said - the web is also rife with misinformation about all aspects relating to loss and much of this content is often rampantly shared around the web in the forms memes, pictures, articles and videos, which has created many false perceptions about grief that are now considered the norm. On this week's episode of Grief Encounters Sasha & Venetia meet Caroline Lloyd, author of Grief Demystified. Caroline has spent her life challenging these misconceptions and speaks candidly about why they can be so damaging. From dismantling the “stages of grief” to looking at if an why therapy is not always a good idea, this podcast will be an extremely practical listen for anyone who has been frustrated with many of the cliches attached to loss. About Caroline: Caroline originally trained in supporting terminally ill cancer patients and their families in Texas in 1988. Since then she has volunteered in various pre-bereavement and bereavement roles for organisations in the UK including Cancer Research UK and Macmillan. For the past thirteen years her focus has been on researching and supporting those affected by anticipatory grief and the bereaved. As a result, she’s been volunteering for Cruse in bereavement support, support group facilitation, as a committee member and helpline volunteer. Caroline has also undertaken specialised training to work with children and young people, traumatic grief and baby deaths.She is currently a Board Trustee and Lead Facilitator for the Resilience Building Programme with Roadpeace, supporting those affected by road fatalities. Her current focus is on completing a PhD in bereavement, delivering training on grief to professionals, and running workshops. She was commissioned to write an accessible book on grief for Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and published Grief Demystified worldwide in November, 2017. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

Navigating the various procedures around a funeral can be difficult for everyone involved. Ireland has an extremely unusual and and strange relationship with death, and how we deal with loss, and this is even more evident in the “tradition” of the Irish funeral. That is not to say we do it badly. No, in fact a case can be made to say that it is something we excel in. There is often a huge community involvement when someone dies here. From waking the dead, right through to the burial,  funerals tend to be filled with lots of people, lots of good spirit and lots of sandwiches (something our guest will discuss in todays episode). Our nearest neighbours in England regard funerals as a much more formal event. “I didn’t get an invite” might wash as an excuse for not attending over there, but the concept of a funeral invitation would seem completely foreign to most Irish people. This week's episode of Grief Encounters takes an interesting and unique look at the Irish funeral with the incredibly thoughtful and funny theatre performer Louis White. Louise has an incredibly impressive CV when it comes to designing exciting and alternative experiences for audiences. Collaborations with different practitioners have included dancers, visual artists, culinary artists, composers, singers, actors and stage designers. Throughout her diverse theatrical career she has worked with performers and participants’ personal stories; interweaving them into the narrative of acclaimed productions such as Mother You in September 2015 and Way Back Home which won the Spirit of the Fringe in 2013. Her latest production, This Is The Funeral Of Your Life is currently touring the country and looks the topic of death, mortality and most importantly funerals - in an extremely fun and creative way. The inspiration for the show came after the loss of her father, and the observations she made in the aftermath of his death. On the podcast she speaks about this period in her life and all of the peculiarities that went with it. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

Jane Mckenna is the founder of Ireland's only children's hospice, and The LauraLynn Foundation, both named after her two children, Laura and Lynn. Sadly, her vision to create a national children’s hospice spawned from utter tragedy. Jane joined Sasha & Venetia for an incredibly moving episode of Grief Encounters, where she speaks about how her family's journey through unthinkable loss, made her determined to give back in her own grief - leaving an incredible legacy for her two children. Jane & her husband Brendan are the proud parents of two beautiful girls Laura & Lynn. Sadly, both Laura and Lynn passed away 20 months apart from each other, to differing illnesses, leaving Jane and Brendan living every parent's worst nightmare.  “Lynn thought us how to live, and she thought us how to die” On this week’s episode of the podcast she gives a really special account of her family's life before and after Laura and Lynn’s passing. No detail is spared, as she paints an extremely vivid picture of what their life was like, living in and out of hospitals and waiting appointment to appointment. More importantly, she manages to capture how incredibly strong both girls were, in sickness and in health. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

When a child experiences the death of a parent, the emotional trauma can be devastating. On this week’s episode of Grief Encounters, Sasha & Venetia  look at this extremely personal issue, and what effect that it can have in later life. The episode takes an extremely rounded look at the theme at hand, as it discovers it from a psychological perspective and a personal perspective over the course of two compelling interviews, with experts in their own rights. Owen Connolly is a consultant psychologist, family therapist and co-author of the book “Parenting for the Millennium”. Owen is also the founder of of The Connolly Counseling Center in Dublin, which works closely with bereaved children. In the first part of this podcast, he gives his opinion on what the correct way to explain death to children is, and how often it is best to be upfront about the loss to the child. It is widely accepted that men and women often grieve differently, and this can also occur when children grieve. This is discussed in detail as he speaks about the importance of exercising and encouraging kids to be more emotive, particularly around the subject of grief. In the second half of the podcast, Sasha & Venetia had the pleasure in speaking to one of the world's most revered and decorated chefs Marco Pierre White, about the most deeply personal moment of his life, the death of his mother.  In 1994 Marco rose to world fame as the youngest chef to win three coveted Michelin stars, but in most circles is just as well known for his temperament in the kitchen. In his appearance on Grief Encounters, he opens up about the devastation that this loss cost, shaping him in to the global figure that we all know on our bookshelves and TV screens. He paints a vivid picture of his childhood before and after his mother's death, speaking about many symptoms that Owen described in the preceding interview. Marco Pierre White is currently the owner of two Irish restaurants situated in Dublin’s Ballsbridge and Dawson Street areas. You can find more information on them here: http://marcopierrewhite.ie/ If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

To Post or Not To Post, that is the question - that many of us are faced with when overcome with grief, after a loved one dies. For many, social media is where we go to express the majority of our our feelings and emotions, but should this still extend to speaking about our own grief and despair? Are some things too personal for the web? In this special episode of Grief Encounters, Sasha and Venetia speak to two writers about their own opinions around grief in the digital age. Kiran Sidhu is a London based writer who’s work can be seen in The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Southall Gazette, Eastern Eye, Holy Moly, Playboy and Time & Leisure about grief and a wide range of topics. Her article, ‘A dirty secret called grief,’ published by the Guardian, is being used in university modules as part of the curriculum and in professional mental health environments, and was shared over 83,000 on social media around the globe. Kiran has used the internet and social media as a tool to break down the stigma attached with speaking about loss, after her mother passed away at the age of 62. She spoke to Sasha & Venetia about how the internet offered her a path to find those with a shared-experience to her own, something that she still feels is extremely valuable for a person in grief. Jeanne Sutton is a Dublin Based writer, whos article ‘Why You Shouldn’t Judge Other People’s Grief’ caught the eyes of Sasha and Venetia, after recording their chat with Kiran. In the article Jeanne speaks about how the way we mourn has moved online for a lot of people, but that this digital space should also be a safe one for people to grieve. In this really interesting conversation, she speaks about the idea of a digital wake as the new cultural norm for those experiencing loss. In the interview, online etiquette (or lack of) becomes a major topic of discussion, as Sasha, Venetia & Jeanne all share their experiences with death in a digital age in this thought provoking episode. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

In early 2014 Gerry Collins’ moving words carried across the nation. This was due to his central role in the ads for the HSE’s QUIT campaign, which sought to convince people to give up smoking. The nation saw a brave man warning others, trying to save people from making the same mistake that he made. But Gerry was also a family man. A father. For Lisa Collins, her dad had always been ‘her person’. She simply couldn’t imagine a future without him. Today on Grief Encounters, Lisa guides us through this turbulent period in her life and the life of her family as they battled against the diagnosis, as filming for the ads commenced and the campaign was launched, and the public spotlight was suddenly thrust upon the Collins family – all while Lisa struggled to accept her father’s impending death and Gerry’s health quickly deteriorated. In this incredibly insightful interview, she discusses the stigma attached around a smoking related illness, and whether that perception is changing in the mind of the public. Lisa is refreshingly honest when speaking about the difficulties she had in her grief, in an episode that is sure to resonate a lot with many of our listeners. In September 2018, she published Gerry’s incredible story in the book “The Man Who Moved A Nation - A Daughter's Story ”. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

This week’s edition of Grief Encounters tackles its most universally relatable topic so far - Cancer. Paul Harrington’s music has been a part of Irish cultural life since winning The Eurovision Song Contest with Charlie McGettigan for their song Rock & Roll Kids in 1994. Hailing from a large family of eight, Paul’s first encounter with grief came on St Stephen’s Day 1999 when his father passed away, naturally at the age of 81. Although terribly sad, he felt a level of acceptance at the passing, because of its nature and his father's age. Having survived a bout of breast cancer many years previously, Paul’s mother would go on be stricken with bowel cancer and ultimately pass away at the from the disease in 2002 at the age of 80. This devastating blow for the family, was the first of many encounters over a difficult 16 year period for him, where Ireland's biggest killer would plague the Harrington’s with illness and loss. In this episode, Paul speaks to Sasha & Venetia with complete sincerity and honesty about how difficult cancer can be, for anyone that it brushes. In a particularly poignant moment, Paul describes his lack of self care (over eating, over drinking, smoking etc) as a form of self-harm, in the depths of his grief. This begins an incredibly interesting conversation around the damaging nature of the word “positivity”, when speaking about death, illness or grief. Sometimes it is difficult or near-impossible to stay positive at the situations life throws at you, and that is okay.   Cancer Stats for Ireland: 1 in 4 deaths in Ireland is caused by cancer. Cancer is the biggest killer in Ireland It accounts for approximately 30% of deaths every year. One person dies from cancer every hour in Ireland. Over 9,000 deaths every year are from cancer. Data sourced from the National Cancer Registry of Ireland (NCRI)   Every 3 minutes in Ireland someone gets a cancer diagnosis. Every hour someone dies from cancer. Incidence of cancer is growing and by 2020, 1 in 2 of us will get a cancer diagnosis in our lifetime.* By 2020, 1 in 2 people in Ireland will develop cancer during their lifetime.* In Ireland more 40,000 new cases of cancer or related tumours are diagnosed each year. Data sourced from the Central Statistics Office       If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/

On a summer evening in August 2007 while eating dinner with his wife Jackie, Benji Bennett found himself smiling with joy, as he watched his three children Harry, Adam and Robbie playing with each other in the distance. Soon after, Adam complained to his parents of a headache, and was taken ill. Three days later, on Benji’s birthday, Adam died suddenly from an undiagnosed vascular brain tumour, leaving the Bennett family completely lost. Episode 5 of Grief Encounters focuses on the theme of taking action in grief, as Sasha and Venetia hear the incredible story of how after Adam’s devastating passing, Benji channelled his grief into a series of amazing children's books, in which Adam played the central character. Benji’s hope is that the books, this interview and anything he now works on will encourage parents to spend more time with their children, and appreciate the tragic fragility of life. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

Following a tragic road accident ten years ago, Colette Byrne lost her her husband Peter at the young age of 32. Left raising a their three year old daughter alone, her world would never be the same from that moment on. In the weeks and months after Peter’s death, Colette began to scour the internet in search of information for new widows, and during this period noticed a huge lack of resources available online. On episode four of Grief Encounters, Sasha & Venetia speak to Colette about her incredible journey in founding Widdow.ie, a grief support website and the first of its kind in Ireland. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving. https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/

In July 2013, Kathleen Chada got unthinkable news that no parent should ever receive. Her two sons, Ruari and Owen were found dead in the boot of a car, that had crashed into a wall near Westport Co Mayo. It later emerged that Kathleen’s Husband had strangled the children and attempted to take his own life. Kathleen is an incredible woman, who’s bravery, strength and positivity have to be heard to be believed. In this episode, she opens up to Sasha & Venetia about trying to continue to live her life, all the while ensuring that the memories of Ruari and Eoghan continue to live on. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

On the morning of October 11th, Ireland woke to the devastating news that one of its brightest stars, Stephen Gately had passed away in his sleep. In Episode Two of Grief Encounters, Sasha & Venetia meet Stephen's friend and Boyzone band-mate Mikey Graham, in an incredibly interesting and insightful interview with the singer. Mikey opens the interview with a truly honest account of Stephens personality, and what he meant to the band and the country as a whole. As the talk progresses, the conversation opens into a fascinating discussion about Mikey’s own spirituality and enlightenment through his journey living with grief. Mikey’s words throughout the conversation are incredibly moving, thought provoking and surprisingly practical for our listeners to consider. This episode is absolutely one not to miss. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving. https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/

Christmas can be a difficult time for anyone who has experienced loss in the past, and feelings of grief can be greatly amplified in these busy few weeks. In Episode One of Grief Encounters, Sasha & Venetia meet Dr Colman Noctor an Adolescent Psychotherapist with St Patrick's Mental Health Services in Dublin. Christmas is a time built on traditions for many people, and Colman discusses the positives and negatives of building new traditions after a loss, in particular for families. He also gives an insight into how children process information differently to adults, and how that can make the grieving process an often strange and difficult one for a child to deal with. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving. https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/ Music by: Nctrnm

Grief Encounters is a weekly podcast series that looks at an issue that affects us all and yet remains so difficult to talk about: grief. Hosted by Venetia Quick and Sasha Hamrogue, the pair are hoping to open up the conversation around loss and create a modern platform for people to share their own experiences, and start open dialogue around the subject of death and all that comes with it.