Love Untethered: how to live when your child dies
Love Untethered
by Vanessa May
This book is about how Vanessa survived the devastating and life-changing loss of her son. It is also about holding onto hope when it feels like there isn't any. For anyone who is going through a bereavement, (or knows someone who is), 'Love Untethered' could provide a lifeline. It’s an honest and brave account of how you go on after someone important has died. Based on both her personal and professional experience, Vanessa provides advice on making the grieving process a little more bearable when your world has been shattered beyond recognition. She also highlights something often overlooked - that grief affects us profoundly, not only emotionally but sometimes physically and spiritually too.
'Love Untethered' offers hope that, although immensely challenging and not something you ever get over, it is possible to survive something as terrible as the death of your child and to find meaning and purpose in life as you live on without them. A life now sustained by untethered love.
My hope is that this book might help others who have suffered a devastating loss and that they will be able to relate to my story and maybe find some of the advice offered to be of benefit. I also hope it will be of interest to anyone who just likes to read about other people’s lived experiences. I hope too that the book will raise awareness about the true nature of deep grief so that those who are grieving are always given the compassion and understanding they need. - Vanessa May
Praise for 'Love Untethered'
Theresa Cheung, Sunday Times bestselling author:
'Vanessa May has written a book that can truly help all those who are grieving find deep meaning, comfort and strength. Highly recommended.'
Mary Hartley, Librarian at The Compassionate Friends UK
I thoroughly recommend this book, especially for newly bereaved parents. In my experience, both personal and with the library, I know how difficult it is to concentrate and books written clearly, with the text broken into digestible chunks, are what we need. Also the honest and immediate way Vanessa tells her story makes it easy to connect with someone who knows what it feels like to grieve for a child. Add to that her really useful advice and this book is excellent".
Nancy Tucker, author of 'The First Day of Spring', 'The Time in Between' and 'That Was When People Started to Worry':
'Vanessa’s book is unusual in its fusion of heart-breaking honesty and determined, resolute hope. She tells her story plainly, but never gratuitously, in an elegant style that puts the raw emotion of such a great loss centre stage. It is essential reading for the bereaved and those trying to support them. I was - and remain - deeply moved by her strength and courage.'
€‹Giles Paley-Phillips, author and host of award nominated podcasts:
'Love Untethered is heartfelt and beautifully written.'
Lucy Lyndhurst, mother of actor Archie Lyndhurst:
'Love Untethered is beautiful and I take the greatest comfort from Vanessa's honesty. From the physical side of grief to the emotional side, to the behaviour of friends and the world outside - it all needs to be more out there so that the grief associated with losing a child can be better understood. I think this book will help so many.'
Elaine Wilkins, NHS Trainer, coaching and mentoring for Health Professionals:
'I believe this is such an important work and should be a core text for counsellors. But most importantly it shares the raw essence of what it is to get through the day as a bereaved parent.'
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