Losing Abby

Podcast: Download

In this Real Retirement Story, I (Shea) interview my good friend, Barb Mahan, about losing her daughter, Abby, to a decade-long battle with cancer. The harsh and unfair reality of parents grieving the loss of an adult child is a topic I have hesitated to share knowing how deeply personal and traumatizing it is. However, Barb is special and Abby was very special. Their story is unique and offers so much hope alongside the suffering. To use Barb’s words, “Time doesn’t heal the wound, but it leaves a scar, and I’m happy for the scar that reminds me of Abby.”

Tune in today to hear the real, raw reality of how Barb and her husband, Dave, rearranged their lives and retirement plans after Abby was gone.

At the end of the interview, I was lucky enough to have Abby’s husband, Brian Gartland, read the eulogy he read at her funeral. As a gifted writer, he has documented their story in his book, On a Blue Moon, which you can find HERE.