My goal is to bring awareness, inspire and motivate individuals to have a ‘Plan B’ in place in case of the unthinkable loss of a spouse, yourself, or both.” – Jeannine McCurrie, Embrace Life Award Honoree, 2010
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Photo by Fay Marley-Clarke

My brother was murdered at the age of 33, leaving behind a wife and three children, all under the age of 7. Two years later my father died at the age of 64 from health issues which were a result of being a smoker for over 45 years. He suffered from influenza, hypertension, strokes and dementia.  I hoped that if there was a grief score card that existed, perhaps mine had reached its limit.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.

September 18, 2008, my husband Darin was admitted to emergency as a result of being treated for Bronchitis and he was rapidly getting worse. It was in the emergency room that he was diagnosed with fluid around his heart and blood clots in his legs and lungs. He had portions of his lung that was no longer functioning and a CT scan which indicated suspicion of cancer. On September 19, 2008, while in surgery, a blood clot took his life. My husband was 37 years old, our daughter was 4 and our son, just 8 months.