The Widower
New Feature Story Captures Story of Cheryl and Me
“What happens when the life you planned disappears, little by little?”
Greg Gerber wrote those words in promoting his feature story about my wife, Cheryl, slipping into and succumbing to dementia.
Many of you may remember that my Nov. 25 post (34) The Widower - by Greg Peck - Greg’s Substack detailed how Gerber interviewed me for one of his “Forward from 50” podcasts. Gerber is a former Wisconsinite who lives in Arizona. A mutual acquaintance put us in touch last year. He interviewed me by computer Zoom about my experiences in caring for Cheryl and rebuilding my life after she died two years ago this month.
That conversation resulted in a 45-minute podcast that Gerber called “Rebuilding After a Dementia Loss.”
I appreciated the chance to verbalize our story, and now Gerber is back with a written version of what happened to Cheryl and me.
“After Cheryl’s passing, Greg found healing and purpose through bicycling, bird photography and writing. Today, he shares his story to help others navigate the loneliness and complexity of caregiving and widowhood,” Gerber also says in promoting this written story.
“In this Forward From 50 People With Purpose feature, Greg opens up about love, loss, guilt, creativity, and the rediscovery of joy in a life forever changed.”
Gerber did a great job of capturing what happened as Alzheimer’s slowly stole Cheryl’s memory, how I learned to adapt amid exhaustion and heartbreak as her full-time caregiver, and how I’ve moved on with life despite my grief.
Here’s a link to the story. I hope you’ll appreciate it as much as I did. After losing his wife, Greg Peck healed through writing, biking and birdwatching - Forward From 50
Appreciated Gerber's story.