0064: Becoming a Widow: Kelsey Jagger on Trauma, Faith, and Looking for the Light (Part 1)

Becoming a Widow: Kelsey Jagger on Trauma, Faith, and Looking for the Light   Dr. Christina Zampitella introduces Phoenix Rising with Dr. Z and interviews grief coach and author Kelci Jager, founder of Rise With Grief, about becoming a widow after her husband Colin died of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in July 2022. Kelci shares a series of traumatic events after moving to Florida, including a 2020 car accident involving her two oldest sons that led to the discovery and successful removal of a benign brain tumor, followed by her husband’s sudden hospitalization and leukemia diagnosis in early 2021 during COVID. She describes severe shock, despair, and a crisis of faith, then shifting to self-compassion and a practice of “looking for the light” while caregiving through 559 days of illness. Kelsey recounts recognizing the end was near, bringing Colin home from the ICU, his peaceful death in her arms, and experiencing both devastation and peace afterward.   00:00 Show Intro 00:33 Meet Kelci Jager 02:04 Life Before Loss 02:52 Boys Crash Discovery 04:49 Tumor Surgery Recovery 06:18 New Year New Crisis 06:38 Leukemia Diagnosis Shock 08:39 Faith Despair Trauma 12:38 Finding Hope Compassion 17:45 Parenting Through Illness 20:30 Kids See The Struggle 22:23 Control What You Can 23:15 Looking for the Light 25:13 Duality Not Positivity 26:02 Colin’s Optimism Practice 28:37 Caregiver Grief in Private 31:53 The Chemo Rollercoaster 33:50 Day 557 Realization 35:00 Beach Break and Knowing 37:46 ICU Validation and Goodbye 38:56 Home for Final Hours 40:10 Relief and Devastation 42:24 Signs of Life After