LOSING a loved one is never easy, especially if it happens unexpectedly.
A young woman has revealed how her world came crashing down when her husband died suddenly – while she was 17 weeks pregnant.
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Sophie Ransom with her husband Paul before his tragic death in 2023. Credit: SWNS
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Sophie described her relationship with her husband Paul as ‘almost perfect’. Credit: SWNS
Like many pregnant women, Sophie Ransom was counting down the days until she gave birth.
She had been with her husband Paul, 25, since they were teenagers and was looking forward to a future with her family.
Heartbreakingly, however, they will never meet their little one.
Looking back on their relationship, the 26-year-old described it as ‘almost perfect’.
The pair met when they were just 19 after matching on Tinder in October 2016 and despite their current relationship, she was reluctant to go out for drinks.
At first I said no, she said. “Because I wasn’t just going to meet someone on a dating app.”
But the pair accidentally bumped into each other a few nights later, when Sophie was out with her flatmate at a bar.
She said: “It was completely unplanned – we just met in a bar one night.
“It was lovely, he spent the whole night chatting to me and my friend – he was very nice.”
Their relationship quickly blossomed and they got engaged in October 2021 and married just one month later.
After settling into married life, the project manager was not worried when she woke up on May 24, 2023, without Paul by her side.
Thinking her husband had left for work earlier, she went out to get milk and returned home to a missed call from his boss.
“I called and the first thing he asked me was ‘is Paul okay?’ “I said, you tell me – because he’s not here. “My stomach just dropped and I immediately felt that something had happened.”
Just 30 minutes later, the police knocked on her door.
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Then Sophie, who was 17 weeks pregnant at the time, received the devastating news that Paul had crashed his Suzuki motorcycle.
“They told me, ‘Paul had an accident and did not survive his injuries.’ “I was in disbelief. I knew something was going to happen, but I didn’t think he was going to be dead.”
“I thought, worst case scenario, I’d have to look after him and the baby – but he didn’t even make it to the hospital.”
The first few weeks after hearing the news were ‘a blur’ as she tried to arrange the funeral as well as take care of their mortgage and bills.
On July 1, she attended the funeral along with 250 of her husband’s loved ones in a ‘beautiful crematorium surrounded by wildlife’.
The service was to be a celebration of his life and Sophie explained:
“It was sad, but I didn’t want everyone’s lasting memory to be very sad.”
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Paul Ransom was only 25 when he died last year. Credit: SWNS
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Sophie Ransom, 26, with daughter Poppy – who was born late last year. Credit: SWNS
She added: “The celebrant told loads of funny stories about him – and the last song was our first dance song, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’. “It was a beautiful service – I even managed to read a song somehow.”
It was around this time that Sophie began to feel her baby kick – giving her the extra push to start living life to the fullest again.
“I started to feel the baby moving,” she added. “Then I thought, I have to go, now I have to look after her, as well as myself.”
On October 28, 2023, at 11:30 p.m., Sophie gave birth to baby Poppy, weighing 6 lb 6 oz, by caesarean section.
After welcoming her baby girl, the mother of one now makes a conscious decision to get up every day and ‘carry on’.
She told reporters: “Life as a young widow is hard – it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done and so exhausting.
“But there is happiness in my life every day – and the privilege I have to continue living for my daughter.”
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Sophie says her little one, Poppy, has helped her keep going. Credit: SWNS
Where to look for grief support
Need professional help with grief?
You are not alone
Check out these books, podcasts, and apps that expertly manage grief…
- Griefcast: Cariad Lloyd interviews comedians in this award-winning podcast.
- The Madness of Grief by Rev Richard Coles (£9.99, W&N): The Strictly fave writes movingly about the loss of her husband David to alcoholism.
- Terrible, thanks for asking: Podcast host Nora McInerny encourages non-celebrities to share how they really feel.
- Good Grief by Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn (£14.99, Murdoch Books): A guide for people who have suffered a sudden loss, like the authors who both lost their mums.
- Grief Works: Download this for daily meditations and expert advice.
- How to Grieve Like a Champion by Lianna Champ (£3.99, Red Door Press): a book to improve your relationship with death.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: newstars.edu.vn