Episode 22: Seeking Meaning After Child Loss

Today's conversation is for anyone who has experienced the death of child. Our guest, Joanie Amato Spain, knows this tender journey well. Her son Will, her only child, was born with a life-threatening heart condition. A medically fragile child, he died suddenly in his early 30s just as he was experiencing the fullness of adult life. 

Joanie shares with us more about how she coped with never knowing if and when he would die, and how she witnessed him become an extraordinary and gifted human being. She guides us through the heartbreak she experienced upon his death, and how she navigated such a dramatic loss. Her words are seasoned and wise, a balm to any parent's weary soul. Joanie offers specific support and guidance to parents who have experienced something similar. 

She also helpfully explains what did and didn't help during the early days, months and years after Will's death, and what ultimately allowed her to integrate this loss into the fullness of her own life. 

During our conversation, Joanie mentioned a book that was very helpful to her in the early days of grief. Hope Will Find You: My Search for the Wisdom to Stop Waiting and Start Living by Naomi Levy. 

GUEST: Joanie Amato Spain, Interspiritual Director, Grief Companion, Prayer Chaplain

Joanie Spain brings a deeply personal and compassionate perspective to conversations about grief and loss. Her journey was profoundly shaped by the life and death of her only child, who was born with a complex congenital heart condition and died in 2019 from related complications. Walking through that loss led her more deeply into spiritual exploration and ultimately to her work as a Spiritual Director and Certified Grief Companion.

Areas of special interest and experience: grief and loss, transitions, healing and creative expression, New Thought spirituality, ACIM.

Website:  www.redraveninnerlife.com