Mums Karen Kinsella and Rebecca Hudman have launched a podcast called Room to Glebe to share their raw experiences of life after the devastating loss of their youngest child late last year.
Karen, from Hyde, Cheshire, and Rebecca, from Peterborough, met online and quickly bonded over their shared experiences and struggles as both their children battle brain tumours.
The mothers describe “Room to Glebe” as a mix of tears and laughter as they share their experiences with special guests and explore the realities of grief.
“We want to help people who are going through grief, but also people who are going to go through grief,” Karen Kinsella said.
Karen's daughter Emily was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2021. In her final weeks she was cared for by staff at Derrien House Children's Hospice in Chorley. Emily passed away on 25 June 2023, aged 16.
“Nobody can prepare you for when your child dies,” Karen continued. “It's heartbreaking. As a mother, you're supposed to be able to make them better. You're supposed to be able to fix them. But I couldn't fix my daughter.”
“Ultimately, I would like to see grief education incorporated into the curriculum. I want everyone to learn more about it, regardless of age. A lot of people don't know what to do or say to someone who is grieving. This is important learning that is missing. After all, we all experience grief in our lives.”
“The podcast also helps us keep our kids in our lives. Emily and Bradley will always be in our lives. There's nothing parents want to do more than talk about their kids.”
Rebecca's son Bradley, 18, passed away on June 1, 2023, just three weeks before Karen's daughter Emily, after a year-long battle with brain cancer.
“There's not enough education about grief. I don't think we talk about it enough,” Rebecca said.
Mr Bradley was too ill to travel to a children's hospice in Chorley, some 200 miles away, so he spent his final days in a local adult hospice after crisis intervention by Derian House.
“There's no children's hospice around here and we knew Bradley was going to die but without Derian House we wouldn't have been able to provide him with the care he needed,” Rebecca continued.
“A week after Bradley died I was really sad, but at the same time I was laughing and joking. It just felt wrong. Just wrong.
“Grief wasn't what I expected it to be. I felt like I had to control what I did and said. I didn't want people to think I was OK when I was just dealing with it. We're told how to feel most of the time, so when we didn't feel that way, it felt like something was wrong.
“I want to share the reality of grief with my podcast. I don't want to tell people how they should feel, I want to tell them the truth. And there are no topics that are off-limits.”
“Personally, I want to explore the neuroscience behind it and how grief physically affects the body. I want to explore grief in different cultures, where the way we deal with death is very different.”
Lucy Maxwell, family support worker at Derian House, said: “Room to Grieve is raw, authentic and brave – it depicts the reality of grief of two mothers who lost their children just a year ago.”
“Rebecca and Karen's candid conversation will not only provide comfort to other bereaved parents, but also educate others about the deeper and often unspoken aspects of grief.”
“Room to Grieve” is available on Spotify, YouTube and Audible.
Based in Astley Village, Chorley, Derrien House cares for over 400 babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
