Sisterhood in Grief:
Cancer Caregiver Widow
A 4 month group experience to process the caregiving piece of your widowhood
This loss is profound.
There is no space that has been left untouched by it.
And perhaps your partner’s absence has been so loud that you haven’t had the opportunity to tend to the events, memories and emotions that happened before their passing.
Or maybe you have found no spaces where you felt free to share the truth about what supporting a partner through cancer has been like for you.
Most likely, you’ve been grieving in some way since the moment of diagnosis.
You’ve also lived through loss after loss while they were still here.
It’s often difficult (and sometimes impossible) to make space for our own grief in the midst of caregiving.
Life is busy and cancer dominates the space between us.
Many will tell you that they can’t imagine what your journey has been like.
And they’re right.
There is no way to understand this unless you’ve also walked your person to the very edge of this human existence, to the point where you could walk no further.
What would it mean to be in a room with women who know exactly what you’ve been through?
There was so much isolation in caregiving.
Now, we get to process that piece of our grief, together.
My partner died from pancreatic cancer. I was his caregiver from the moment of diagnosis until he took his very last breath. He would ask me not to leave his side and that last wish became my anchor through the entire cancer journey.
I truly never left his side.
That came at a great emotional cost to me… AND it was an honour and privilege to be the one to walk this walk with him.
The impact of both of these truths took years to begin to unpack and process.
Too often, we are left to make sense of this experience alone.
I am dedicated to changing that for us.
And it starts here.
When you lose a partner to cancer, there is so much loss within the loss.
There is the shock of a life-altering diagnosis…
A calendar that fills up with medical appointments, treatments and a medication schedule that has to be kept minute by minute.
Hours and hours of research aimed both at understanding this new reality and at how to best support and sometimes save our partner’s life.
In the midst of it all, the dynamics of our relationship change.
We lose physical intimacy, slowly at first, and then abruptly.
Where we used to rely on them, they now rely on us.
Sometimes, only on us.
It can feel like our identity and our role within the relationship has shifted overnight.
Without our consent, everything has changed.
And there is already so much grief.
When the unthinkable happens and they pass, we are left to make sense of all that happened… alone.
Navigating this emotional territory is complex.
It can also be terrifying.
And there are very few spaces to explore this specific part of our loss.
Hi! I’m Marie, a Grief Coach and End-of-life Doula who walks the path of healing with women who have suffered a profound loss.
I specialize in creating safe spaces for women to be seen, heard and witnessed in the fullness of their experience of loss.
My approach is based on the assumption that you are the expert of your own grief and my work focuses on guiding you back home to yourself so that you can find meaning in your life in the “after”.
Having lost my partner to cancer, my guidance and coaching comes from both education and personal experience which allows me to deeply relate to my client’s experience of grief and loss.
I am the founder of Empowered Through Grief, a coaching practice and community that provides a brave space for healing and post-traumatic growth for women grieving all types of loss.
In my work, I have had the privilege of supporting hundreds of women through 1:1 coaching and group experiences. My work is trauma informed and respectful of your religious & spiritual beliefs.
This space is meant to bridge the gap between the support that we get and the support that we need after being widowed through cancer.
There is so much healing that occurs from having a safe space for truth telling about what the months between diagnosis and death were really like for you.
There is deep comfort in being witnessed in the courage and devotion that was demanded of you during that time.
The intention behind the Sisterhood is to offer you the time and space to explore the complexities of the grief that comes with caregiving.
It is a space where we can discuss the realities that only cancer widows face.
How do we process the events and let go of the “what ifs”?
How can we forgive ourselves for any mistake, real or perceived, made in the midst of a medical and emotional journey that was often overwhelming and unbearably difficult?
How do we integrate emotions like fear, disappointment and anger?
Together, we will have the hard conversations that we can’t have with our friends and family out of fear of burdening (or traumatizing) them.
Here, we can have honest discussions around what it felt like for us to hold space for our partner’s emotional, spiritual and physical suffering.
We can process the pieces that perhaps we didn’t get to talk about then like the loss of intimacy, physical closeness and the expectation that we had to be strong for them at all times.
In this supportive and loving space, you are held as you give a voice to the pieces of your grief that may have nowhere else to be expressed.
With the support of other women navigating the same lived experience, I will gently lead you as you process, make sense of and begin to let go of what might be burdening you.
Through these 5 months, you will be led to relate to yourself in a deeper way, to honour all that you’ve been through and to hold space for yourself in a way you may not have been able to do up until this moment.
This is a Sisterhood that will cry with you, laugh with you, witness and honour the courage, love and deep devotion that were brought out of you during this time.
A place to bring all of who you are.
Your loss and your hope for the future.
Your grief and your profound love for the human you walked alongside of until you could go no further.
This is for the woman who is ready and willing to be part of a community of cancer widows.
You must be open to processing your grief alongside others who have walked a similar path.
It is a space to explore the complexities and losses of having been a caregiver to a partner who died of cancer.
Here, you get to bring more intention to the integration of this experience into who you are becoming in the “after”.
A look inside our 4 months together:
Month 1: reflecting on your whole journey
The first month is dedicated to telling our stories of love, illness and loss.
We will explore the emotions and events around the time of initial symptoms and diagnosis and you will gather tools to process the fear & shock that may still be present in your experience of grief.
We will touch upon the concept of anticipatory grief and explore how that impacts your grief in the here and now.
Month 2: the many roles of the caregiver and the shifting nature of hope
Together, we will reflect on the many roles we have had to take on in the face of our partner’s illness and explore the complexities of the emotions these roles brought up for us. We will discuss what could be felt vs what had to be buried.
We will reflect on the shifting nature of the hope we hold in the face of a cancer diagnosis, in the context of the illness and in the face of imminent death.
We will draw parallels to the nature of hope in your experience of bereavement.
Month 3: ever changing relationship dynamics
We will explore and make sense of the changes that happened inside of the relationship throughout the illness. We will reflect on our role as a caregiver and how that has impacted our sense of identity as a partner, lover and wife.
Month 4: meaning-making & weaving the experience into who we become
Together, we will find meaning and begin to integrate this experience. We will hold discussions about the foreverness of love and reflect on the depth of devotion that was required of you. You will be guided to honour yourself deeply.
What happened to you was deeply transformative and difficult.
Too often, we think that we have to come to terms with the events of our lives alone.
But I challenge that.
Let’s be in this grief together.
Who this is for:
Women who were caregivers to a partner who died from cancer. I do not recommend that you join if you are in early grief.
If you are in early grief, I invite you to join the next cohort of my early grief support group; Sisterhood in Grief.
Whether you were legally married or not is of no importance. If you’ve lost someone you thought you were going to spend forever with, you belong.
Women who have had grief support before or are currently being supported by a therapist, counsellor, doula or coach. You understand that this program can not meet all of your grief support needs and you take responsibility for making sure that you are adequately supported outside of this group.
Women who are open to sharing their story, to support and be supported by a close-knit sisterhood of like-minded widows.
Women who want to make sense of this experience with others and looking for a safe and empowering space in which to grow through grief.
In this supportive and loving space, you are held as you give a voice to the pieces of your grief that may have nowhere else to be expressed.
What my clients are saying about working with me:
“I just want to say thank you Marie. You’re such a skilled facilitator. The space, shaped by your expertise, experience and emotional intelligence is the perfect forum for sharing. The world is a better place because of your work”
— Susie W.
“I have had the privilege to work with Marie in a few different ways. I started with Sisterhood in Grief group and felt so cared for and supported that when she offered Rebuild & Rise, I didn’t even hesitate to join. I am also working with her in her 1:1 coaching. Marie is very good at holding a comfortable container for one’s grief. One where you feel heard, seen, cared for and supported. She is an excellent listener and has a way of hearing things that might not be being said and sharing her observations with you. She is truly a talented coach that has walked and is still walking this journey of losing her person. Whoever you have lost in your life, she will provide the support, care and tools for you to navigate with your grief.
— Kimberly G.
More testimonials:
“Grief has taught me the importance of cultivating a relationship with myself. Marie helped me find the resilience to rebuild and honour myself through my profound loss. Her talent to hold the space for all the feelings and emotions that arise is a true gift. I am truly amazed at how she has helped the whole group move through our grief and guided us to rebuilding our lives. It is well worth the investment in your self care to have Marie walk alongside you during the most difficult time in your life.”
— Jamie
“Marie has built an incredible group. I followed Marie for a while and was hesitant to join as I’m not much of a group person. Marie’s welcoming nature helped me take the plunge and join and I’m so grateful that I did. Marie has created a safe space for us to talk, cry, laugh, be angry and share our grief in the way we need to. Her monthly “homework” really provides space to do a deep dive into ourselves, explore who we are now and talk about issues that just aren’t talked about. It’s been such an amazing space to explore everything I have been feeling and be vulnerable, honest and brave with a group of women that I hope I will always be connected with. I would highly recommend any group that Marie offers and if you are a widow, take the plunge and join this community that understands as supports you as you rebuild this one precious life.”
— Penny
“Reaching out to other widows and having a safe space to share, cry, laugh, listen and love has been so helpful to my healing journey. What Rebuild and Rise added for me was community. A community gently guided by Marie through weekly calls and monthly themes that create self awareness and healing. Losing your life partner is extremely hard in many different ways and isolation is one of them. Being with others that “get you” is invaluable. Thank you Marie and our fellow widows”
— Cheryl K.
“The camaraderie and friendship we share are absolutely heart and soul touching. This group has proven that there is a true sisterhood among womankind. Our pain has brought us together but it is the desire for healing that holds us together. Marie, thank you for facilitating, leading and walking me through.”
— Mary B.
FAQ.
What is the schedule for the calls?
75 min ZOOM calls every Tuesday at 1PM EST (NYC time)
Calls start on February 21st 2023 and end on June 6th 2023.
Will there be a recording of the calls if I can’t attend?
If consent is given by every group member, yes.
Content, slides and video recordings will be posted on a private membership site to ensure confidentiality.
FAQ.
If I drop out during the program, will you issue a refund?
For the integrity of the program and of the group itself, please make sure that you are committed to participate before joining.
If after the first 7 days of the program beginning, you are not satisfied, please contact empoweredthroughlife@gmail.com letting them know that you wish to leave the group experience. Within 7 days of the program beginning, you can receive a full refund.
Beyond that point, we will not be able to offer any more refunds.
If I want more personalized support, can I upgrade to private grief coaching with you?
If you’d like to continue your healing work after completing the program or in conjunction with it, you can work with me in private 1:1 grief support sessions.
You will be held by a community as you process what it has meant for you to walk with your person to the very edge of this existence…until you could go no further.
There may be a lot of feelings and memories for you to make sense of and you don’t have to do this alone.
We can find our way through, together.
$265/month
Pay in 6 equal monthly payments
$1575
Pay in full
This will be a small and intimate group experience. I am holding space for only 10 women (cancer widows) to join.
Email or DM me your questions!
Email: empoweredthroughlife@gmail.com
Instagram: @empowered_through_grief
With love,
Marie