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Ramón’s 37th birthday fell on a Saturday, so we got to spend the entire day together. I told him we could do whatever he wanted. His...
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- Apr 7
- 2 min
My grief shoes
Flat feet and hospital floors don’t mesh. When I moved into the hospital after Ramón’s cardiac arrest in spring of 2020, my flat feet...
- Feb 16
- 3 min
Don't put the pity in serendipity (a grief no-no)
When you’ve lost a loved one, certain dates are etched in your mind. The big milestones are impossible to forget, but other, less...
- Dec 7, 2022
- 2 min
Season's Grievings
It’s the most wonderful time of year.* *but not for everyone I’ve intended to write this post for weeks now, but I’ve struggled with...
- Oct 21, 2022
- 1 min
I'm published!
I was embarrassed to admit I wanted to be a writer for a very long time. I was fearful of seeming unrealistic, for one, but putting my...
- Oct 20, 2022
- 2 min
27 months
"Today's date is the 20th," the poll worker announced this morning as I completed paperwork to vote in Georgia's (very important)...
- Oct 5, 2022
- 3 min
I hugged a sign.
I hugged a sign last weekend, and it hugged me back. It’s official! At this very moment, cars are driving over the Judge Ramón Alvarado...
- Sep 12, 2022
- 1 min
Stories of Grief: Drew Dotson
After losing Ramón, I began connecting with other widows on Instagram. (See? Social media has some benefits!) I stumbled upon the Forced...
- Aug 25, 2022
- 2 min
OMGlennon
I am here with a proclamation: I became one of Glennon Doyle’s biggest fans over the past 24 hours. I first heard her name a month after...
- Aug 22, 2022
- 1 min
October 1: Save the date!
Several months ago, a *quite* special resolution was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly: HR 918: Judge Ramón Alvarado Bridge;...
- Aug 16, 2022
- 2 min
One step at a time
“Here,” an ICU nurse said as she handed me Ramón’s Fitbit. He’d just been situated in the ICU after his cardiac arrest. While they were...
- Jun 16, 2022
- 2 min
Circle back around
This beautiful ring used to adorn my husband's hand, but now it’s in the bottom drawer of my bedside table. When Ramón was going into the...
- Jun 7, 2022
- 1 min
Down here on earth
I cut my left hand this morning. It was nothing serious, but it warranted the use of antiseptic spray. As I got the bottle out of the...
- May 19, 2022
- 1 min
Let donations ring!
This photograph may look like your average 36-year-old man eating a red, white, and blue popsicle, but there's much more. At the time,...
- May 7, 2022
- 1 min
Happy birthday, Your Honor!
Today this guy would have turned 43! It would have also been the three-year anniversary of his cancer diagnosis. This year, as the date...
- Apr 1, 2022
- 3 min
This is a shout-out to my grievers.
Where all my grievers at? Can I get a BOO-HOO? Just kidding. But if I were to craft a rap about grief, it would definitely start off like...
- Feb 28, 2022
- 3 min
A-O-K
Several days ago, I hopped in my car to head to an appointment, and my Pandora app automatically connected to the car’s audio. I fumbled...
- Jan 7, 2022
- 3 min
A smidgen
As I sat down to write this post, I thought I’d start by saying, "I woke up to a text from Ramón’s brother-in-law, Steve." Then I...
- Dec 8, 2021
- 2 min
A decade later and I'm still dancing
Ten years ago today, Ramón came to an improv show and was apparently smitten enough to send a friend request on Facebook. I accepted it...
- Nov 10, 2021
- 1 min
What were you wearing when ... ?
As I put on a hoodie this morning, I remembered it was the sweatshirt I was wearing when Ramón was diagnosed with leukemia. I didn’t...
My name is Drew Dotson, and my life has been anything but perfect, yet it's still perfectly beautiful. After growing up with a genetic disease, cystic fibrosis, I was blessed to meet an amazing man who loved me without bounds. Then he died.
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