Sunset Stories with Tanya Manley

Our Journey Continues

Our next guest spent part of her birthday with me a lady from New York and a Texas gal admiring each other's accents and me, in awe just how much Christine Clayton showed how BIG a mother's love truly is! This is the story and fight of Nicole in her mother's words in our next episode "Our Journey Goes On"
On September 30, 2021, my beautiful daughter Nicole aka Nikki to many others, lost her last battle with end stage renal failure due to Juvenile Diabetes. She is forever 41. She battled Juvenile Diabetes since the age of nine. Nicole was not just a daughter. She was a cousin, a niece, a friend and mostly a loving Mom, she not just loved her daughter Kayla, she adored her!!!
Nicole was silly, funny, loved music, loved to dance, and had the best laughter even at herself. She had the brightest
blue eyes that would sometimes turn the lightest gray. Just stunning! She loved to embarrass me intentionally. And I gladly reciprocated She was a sensitive, compassionate giving
person and at times stubborn. Nicole loved her family fiercely and we loved her just the same. In March 2019 she had started to get extremely sick and was told she needed TWO organ
transplants, a kidney, and a pancreas. Immediately I said I would donate my kidney. I was not a direct match, so I went into the Kidney swap program for her. Unfortunately, at that
time many things were happening. Covid hit, elective surgeries were put on hold, dialysis started to take its toll on her and her health continued to fail.
She kept fighting to the very end.
That was who my girl was.
After her passing and mourning her, I decided to continue our journey, knowing all too well who she was would fully support my decision. So, back to the kidney swap program I went.
On May 9, 2023, I donated my kidney in her honor. Fulfilling the journey we started. Because of her many lives were saved. Because of her many families will never go through what my family had to endure. Now, her legacy lives on & on .....
Episode drops Friday

The Road of love & Hope with Linda Henderson (final chapters)

 On this episode of Sunset Stories podcast we will wrap up Season 2 with fellow bereaved mother and grief author Linda Wesley Henderson. We discuss many things in the final chapters of her book The Road of Love & Hope with one of my favorite topics being how we let life back in and the tools to do that are all within us! This book has been instrumental in my healing process. Thank you, Linda, for sharing your journey with us! I have come so far but I still have so much further to go. I don't know what I would have done without my grief community holding me up. Our motto is Let's heal together We will soon start interviewing for Season 3 where I am happy to have my co-host Paula Bloom Hill join us! Paula and I will both be certified grief coaches by that time how exciting is that! The mission of Sunset Stories Podcast remains Tell our loved one's story in our narrative from our memories. Heal and go back for others that will unfortunately come after us Provide resources for those that are grieving Make sure you are seen, loved, heard and supported! I can’t thank everyone enough for honoring me to help tell these stories! I believe it helps others and it definitely helps me. I love you all. If you have a story you want to tell, please email us at sunsetstoriespodcast@gmail.com We would love to connect!

Hunter's Light Shines on with Christy Defilippo

Hunter Burns was a 22 year old young man with a bright future ahead of him. He was kind, loved Jesus and would light up any room! 
 
March 1, 2020 Hunter was killed when his vehicle veered into a guardrail and instead of deflecting him back to the road it actually propelled his truck resulting in his death and that is now a profound grief for his family, loved ones and friends. 
 
Three years later the family received a call that was life changing that is when it became evident that the poorly designed guardrail was to blame for the loss of their son. Christy is now determined to prevent other families from enduring the pain of such loss.
 
Realizing that this process of investigation is arduous she continues to be relentless in her pursuit of justice for her son’s untimely and senseless death.
 
It has become apparent that there is incompetence with the standard of installation of guardrails in Florida, Louisiana and Texas and many other states.
 
Christy is determined to prevent other families from enduring the pain of such loss. 
 
Christy and her family will not stop, in honor of her son until the roads are safer and she knows the contractors who build guardrails are properly trained and forced to be accountable. Though the loss of Hunter was preventable, his legacy and spirit will live on in the unwavering fight for safer roadways and a more just society! 

Mariah's Memory with Rachel Carlisle

This episode of Sunset Stories podcast Rachel Carlisle shares her story of the loss of her beautiful daughter Mariah, taken way too soon She writes: Mariah Rachel Earp
Forever 27
Mariah had a beautiful heart with such a contagious laugh.
She was extremely talented and artistic.
She had a way of turning everything she touched into a work of art.
Mariah was struggling in silence with a broken heart even though she had the most giving and beautiful heart.
She started numbing her pain with pills.
One pill led to another and another.
On one fateful night one pill was given to her by someone she trusted and loved only for that one pill to have illicit fentanyl only.
Mariah would help anyone and anything that was in need of help and on that night, nobody tried to help in saving her life.
She was a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, aunt, cousin and friend but most importantly a mother...
She still matters...
Now I share her story...
Telling the world who she was...
How she is deeply missed and forever loved.
Most importantly what was done to her, because I know it's too late to save her, but I am desperately trying to save someone else from sharing the same ending... #stopdruginducedhomocide

Tanner's Vibe

My name is Renee Lund and on March 26th, 2022, my handsome 19-year-old son Tanner was killed by a drunk driver at 2:30pm on a beautiful Saturday afternoon driving to his grandmother’s house. He was my youngest son (of 4 children) and the “baby” of the family. Tanner never gave us any trouble growing up, and the irony of his death is that he was killed by what he hated most, drunk driving. He spoke fluent German and was in the process of planning his dream trip to Germany. Tanner was an avid music lover and was teaching himself to play guitar. He also loved skateboarding, traveling, concerts, snowboarding, hiking, and laughing. Tanner was quick witted, full of love and compassion towards everyone. He had the BEST laugh and was always dancing. Tanner gave the best hugs, and never left anyone without one. I miss those hugs so much. He was the best of the best! He was a vibe and I got to be his mom.Over the last two years not only have I been grieving the loss of my son, but the circumstance of his death has also been equally difficult. Losing Tanner in such a violent, tragic, and preventable manner has taken its toll on me. As we began the legal process, we learned that the person who killed my son had been arrested for a DUI in December of 2021, with a BAC almost 3x the legal limit, yet he faced no real consequences for his actions. He pled guilty, paid a fine and served no jail time. Less than 3 months later he made the same decision to drink and drive. He was driving 30 miles over the speed limit when he smashed into my son killing him immediately. Again, his BAC was almost 3x the legal limit.I had no idea what I would be up against dealing with the criminal justice system and the legislation surrounding drunk driving offenses in the State of Colorado. As you can imagine, they are lax to say the least and in seeking some sort of justice for Tanner, I was at the mercy of the court system. Because I knew the investigation would take a while, I was feeling very anxious, lost and alone. During this time, someone asked me if I had reached out to MADD for any guidance and to be honest, I didn’t even know if it was still an organization. Long story short, this was the beginning of my MADD journey, but it was also the time I met the two prosecuting district attorneys who were assigned Tanner’s case, and over the course of the next few months, watched them seek some sort of justice, for Tanner.Little did I know that by connecting with MADD, I would start the journey of sharing Tanner’s story with the world. It is now my life’s mission to speak his name loudly and fight for tougher DUI laws and awareness. This is only just the beginning! 

A Single Pringle

 Mother’s Day episode with Annie Shelton and Paula Bloom Hill Annie shares her story of her son Vincent and how she has survived the first year without him. It's bittersweet that these women were placed in my life. We all lost our sons to motorcycle accidents in their young adulthood.This episode is real and raw just like grief. If you are a bereaved mother we know tomorrow will be a tough day for you. Please know you are not alone, you do WHATEVER you need to do to get through the day. It's OK to say no to whatever doesn't feel right, take care of yourself and remember deep breaths and baby steps. This episode is for YOU! We see you; we hear you and we hold space and love for you!  Sending you all love and light

Penny from Denny

Grab your tissues for a heartwarming story where Tim Ferriss shares with us his happy childhood growing up in Kodiak, Alaska with his four brothers playing sports and working side by side. Tim shares what it was like for him and his family losing his brother Denny to an oxycodone overdose 23 years ago and how he still honors him, and the special signs Denny still sends to the family and even me on the very day we recorded! Thank you Tim for sharing your brother with us! Thank you to his AMAZING wife  Judy Chung-Ferriss who introduced us! I know Denny is smiling down from heaven super proud of the way you all still remember and honor him! #abrotherslove #sunsetstories #letshealtogether #mengrievetoo #siblingloss

The Road of Love & Hope with Linda Henderson Part 3

We are back with bereaved mother and grief author Linda Henderson. This episode we talk about the many roadblocks of grief . We talk about guilt, anxiety, fear, depression and triggers. We also discuss tools to help you health whether it be a support group, counseling, medication etc. Next we dive into the road map and tools you will need to start rebuilding your life! You don't want to miss this episode! 

The Good Stuff with Guest Panel

I am so excited to share this podcast with you all! Tonight, we have a panel of bereaved moms and dads & siblings to talk about finding the good in grief. We talk about holding on to memories and what we do to honor our children & siblings. If you can focus on remembering the good times you had in certain places you are practicing gratitude for having those experiences. We have a dad makes Tik Toks and has a quarter million followers, a mom has a foundation that walk with grieving parents that lost their children to motorcycle accidents, two grief advocates, two published grief authors, one has a podcast on surviving siblings, a dad who has a Facebook page where he writes beautiful letters to his son. All of us are still grieving and want to heal together along with our listeners. When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. Until next time sending you all love and light!   

The Road of Love & Hope by Linda Henderson Part 2

Enter the emotional and poignant world of Linda Henderson's heart-wrenching memoir, "The Road of Love and Hope." Through vivid and candid storytelling, Linda takes us on a journey of the unthinkable - the loss of her beloved daughter, Andrea, in a tragic car accident. The book unfolds with a striking account of Linda's life, one that was filled with joy, contentment, and everything she could have wanted, until fate took an unfathomable turn.
Through raw experience, Linda's journey takes us through the full spectrum of grief with complex emotions she experienced, from the initial shock and disbelief to the overwhelming fear and anxiety that engulfed her. With deep introspection and honesty, Linda delves into the impact that the tragedy had on her relationships with her husband, children, and the community at large. She shares her struggles with depression and how she found the strength to cope with these challenges and pave a way forward. Her story is an epitome how grief can be transformed into a legacy of love teaching the readers valuable guidance and management of emotions.
Ultimately, "The Road of Love and Hope" is a testament to the unbreakable bond of a mother's love for her daughter and the immeasurable power of resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy. It is a captivating and inspiring story that will leave readers moved and inspired to cherish the love they have in their lives.