From Widowed to Thriving

A true story of loss, love, and second chances

For over 30 years, I was a married man.
A husband. A father. A business owner.
Life was full, and I was all in.

Then in 2014, my world cracked wide open.

My wife passed away from a rare brain disease.
Grief hit hard. And life didn’t let up.
I lost my home. My business. My footing.

But I never lost hope.

I let the people who showed up actually in.
I listened when they spoke life into me.
And somehow, I kept going.

Then in 2017, love showed up again.

Her name was Sue. She had her own story of loss.
And somehow, two people who weren’t looking for love found it in each other.

Three months into our marriage, I had a stroke.
That could’ve been the end of our story.
But Sue didn’t flinch.

She stayed. She loved.
She cared for me with compassion, strength, and grace I still can’t fully explain.

She didn’t run when life got messy.
She leaned in.

And that, more than anything, deepened what we had.

For the last eight years, we’ve been building a life that feels like a second chance.

We travel. We laugh.
We sit in silence, content just to be near each other.

This isn’t a story about pain.
It’s a story about rising.
About unexpected love.
About the kind of loyalty that holds steady in the storm.

If you’re walking through something hard right now, let this remind you:

It’s not over.
There’s still life ahead. Still love. Still joy.
And sometimes, the second act is even better than the first.

About the Author

Bob Priest is a wellness advocate and coach who helps others rise after life’s hardest hits.
Through faith, community, and gut-brain health, he empowers people to rebuild from the inside out, and create a life they love, no matter what chapter they’re in.

Want to learn more about what helped me go from surviving to thriving—physically, mentally, emotionally?

Let’s chat. I’d love to share what’s worked for me and see if it could support you too. 💛