Ep. 116: Grief, Loss, and Meaning with Maryanne O'Hara

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Happy Day, Friend! 

On this week’s podcast episode, I’m talking about grief, loss, and meaning. 

My guest this week is author, Maryanne O’Hara.  

Maryanne O’Hara is the author of LITTLE MATCHES: A Memoir of Grief and Light. Her daughter Catlin died at 33, after a lifetime of living with Cystic Fibrosis and a harrowing last two years waiting for a lung transplant that finally came but was unsuccessful. In her grief and search for answers, Maryanne trained as an end-of-life doula. Her favorite aspect was creating legacy projects, something she didn’t do with Caitlin because of her single-minded focus on her survival. She planned to do it with her mother, but with a sudden illness in the midst of Covid, that opportunity slipped away

Maryanne O’Hara is also the author of the novel Cascade – the Boston Globe Book Club’s inaugural pick, a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award, and a People Book of the Week. The former associate fiction editor of Ploughshares, she has taught creative writing at Emerson College and Clark University, and has had her writing recognized by the artist grants programs of the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the St. Botolph Club Foundation.

Little Matches is based on the 9LivesNotes blog she kept while her daughter, Caitlin, waited for a lung transplant. O’Hara is a Reiki master and was recently certified by the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine as an end-of-life doula so that she might better speak to the state of end-of-life care in our culture. 

Maryanne and I talk about: 

~ her journey with her daughter when diagnosed with cystic fibrosis; 

~ what challenge has taught her about life, death, and fear; 

~ what it means to “grow the soul”; 

~ end-of-life doula work and life interviews; 

~ her new book, Little Matches:  A Memoir of Grief and Light

~ and so much more! 

It was such a moving conversation filled with so much depth, love, and meaningful insights.  

I hope you gain a ton of value from it. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please share with a friend or family member, and make sure to purchase a copy of Maryanne’s new book, Little Matches. 

Connect with Maryanne O’Hara 👉 Website and Instagram

If you have any questions, thoughts, or comments: connect with me on social media @atheadavis!   

And, don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned in to all the mindful living love.

Stay connected 👉 @atheadavis on all the social channels. 

Keep breathing deep and shining bright, Friend! ☀️

XO ~ Athea 

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