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Carla always knew she would be a widow but didn’t have any idea how it would actually feel. When Carla met her late husband Jared, he was waiting for a lung transplant due to Cystic Fibrosis, a chronic disease affecting the lungs and pancreas. So she knew that most likely someday she would say goodbye to her husband. But she never dreamt it would be exactly one week before their 14th wedding anniversary. In August 2014, Jared was diagnosed with a rare bacterial infection in his transplanted lung and was expected to survive at least 6 months if not a year. Instead, he died just 6 weeks later. And in the blink of an eye, Carla became a solo mom to their 10-year-old son. And even though her life was forever marked before and after, she was determined to live life to the fullest because her husband would expect no less.

She founded Breathing for Jared, a Foundation to provide college scholarships to those suffering from lung disease in honor of her late husband. Became a supporter of the CF Foundation and Donate Life. And discovered that writing out her emotions and fears on her blog Transplant Wife and Widow helped her to process her grief

Carla recently remarried and is now blending a family with her new husband, bonus daughter, and son.

Recent Posts by this Author

Author Carla Duff

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Senior Photos with Dad

by Carla Duff in Coping Mechanisms, Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Solo Parenting, Widowhood Journey
July 10, 2021July 10, 2021
My son recently did his senior photo session for school. It was another one of those bittersweet moments. A moment I wish his dad was here to witness.  There have been so many countless bittersweet moments since Jared died. As ...
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Always and Forever

by Carla Duff in Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Widowhood Journey
June 27, 2021
Always and forever.   Two words that can be so hard.   I'll always love Jared.  And I'll always miss him. Jared is forever gone from this earth.  I'll spend forever, the rest of my life without him.   Always ...
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Making New Memories While Honoring The Past

by Carla Duff in Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Widowhood Journey
June 13, 2021June 13, 2021
Today I celebrated my 49th birthday in Africa.  Africa!   When my late husband and I started dating, we made a list of places we wanted to visit.  When he died, we had three places left.   In June of ...
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7th Birthday in Heaven

by Carla Duff in Coping Mechanisms, Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Widowhood Journey
June 6, 2021
Tomorrow would be my late husband’s 44th birthday. But instead he is forever 37.     Our son and I miss Jared every day.   Wish he could be here. Would love to once again celebrate his birthday with him.    It’s ...
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My privilege

by Carla Duff in Coping Mechanisms, Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Solo Parenting, Widowhood Journey
May 23, 2021
Sports was my husband’s thing.   He coached our son’s baseball team. And our son's football team.    The last spring he was alive he coached Steven’s baseball team.  Even though he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his ...
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Count Your Blessings

by Carla Duff in Coping Mechanisms, Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Widowhood Journey
May 10, 2021May 11, 2021
As I lay here I am reminded to count my blessings. Sometimes when life has been difficult, stressful, and full of grief it is easy to focus on the negative. To focus on the sorrow instead of the joy. To ...
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National Widow’s Day: those Who Chose To Stay

by Carla Duff in Coping Mechanisms, Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Widowhood Journey
April 30, 2021
National Widow’s Day is May 3rd.    For many, this day is insignificant.  Just another national day on the calendar.  But for the 3.48 million widowed men and 11.27 million widowed women living in the US, it is significant.    ...
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Honoring Both My Husbands

by Carla Duff in Coping Mechanisms, Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Relationships and Dating, Widowhood Journey
April 19, 2021April 20, 2021
This Saturday was National Husband Appreciation Day. It was a day I want to celebrate. It is also a day that left me feeling very torn. As a remarried widow, I want to sing the praises of my new husband. ...
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Letting Go of Fear to Heal

by Carla Duff in Coping Mechanisms, Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Widowhood Journey
April 3, 2021April 4, 2021
Three years ago, I attended a workshop at Camp Widow that was monumental in my healing. Changed the course of my grief journey. Helped me to embrace the me I was becoming after loss.   For that workshop, we had ...
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Sacred Places

by Carla Duff in Coping Mechanisms, Grief, Hope and Healing, Hope for Widows Foundation, Relationships and Dating, Widowhood Journey
March 22, 2021
There are sacred places.   Places that were mine and Jared’s. Places we made forever memories.   Places that I have not visited since his death.  Places I may never visit again.   Although I think someday I would like to revisit ...
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