What If Grief Starts Before Death? | Ryan Ashton

What happens when grief begins long before someone dies?In this episode of Too Young To Grieve, Luke is joined by Ryan Ashton for a powerful conversation about dementia, anticipatory grief and the experience of slowly losing someone whilst they’re still physically here.Many people know Ryan through his humour and social media content, but behind that is a deeply personal story of watching his dad live with dementia and navigating the grief that comes with losing someone in stages rather than all at once.Together they explore anticipatory grief, family, identity, humour, social media and what life looks like after loss.We discuss:• what anticipatory grief actually feels like• grieving someone before they die• the realities of dementia• losing a parent in stages• what people misunderstand about dementia• humour as a coping mechanism• social media and grief• carrying grief whilst living life publicly• life after loss• what grief teaches us about life• supporting families affected by dementiaOne of the most honest conversations we’ve had about the complexities of grief before death.