How to Cope With Losing a Spouse
- Kelly Rizzo, the widow of Bob Saget, is speaking out for the first time amid her husband's sudden death.
- In an interview with the TODAY show's Hoda Kotb, Rizzo says that what is getting her through this hard time is her support system.
- The grieving and recovery process after losing a loved one, especially a partner, is definitely not a "one-and-done" process, many members of the SurvivorNet community have told us.
In an interview with the TODAY show's Hoda Kotb, Rizzo says that what is getting her through this hard time is her support system.
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Bob Saget, 65, was found dead in his Florida hotel room on Jan. 9, and officials say there are no signs of foul play or drugs; the cause of his death remains unknown. While Saget did not have cancer, nor did he pass from the disease, the grief his wife and family are dealing with is something anyone who has lost a loved one can relate to.
Speaking about the final text message she received from her husband, Rizzo says: "I'm just very grateful that it was all 'I love you so much.' I think I said 'I love you dearly' and then he said 'I love you endlessly' and then he said 'I can't wait to see you tomorrow.' It was just all love."
Bob Saget's Impact
In another interview with Good Morning America, Rizzo, 42, spoke about the incredible legacy her husband is leaving behind and the impact he had on everyone around him.
"He had the biggest heart of anyone I’d ever known. He put everybody first. He did everything for everybody."
Kelly Rizzo tearfully remembers her late husband, actor Bob Saget, after his passing. https://t.co/1uOQGmoU2k pic.twitter.com/zywNDMQfCh
Good Morning America (@GMA) January 20, 2022
"He just wanted to spread love and laughter and he did it so amazingly, and I'm just so proud of him because he truly brought people together," she tells GMA. "He was just so wonderful and I was just so honored to be his wife and to be able to be a part of it and bring him any bit of happiness that I could because he deserved it so much."
"He did everything for everybody if you had a problem, he was the first person that was going to take care of it and help you," she adds. "He was just the most caring and kind and thoughtful person … he was just the most absolutely wonderful husband that I ever could have dreamed of."
Rizzo implied that Bob Saget did not have any underlying health concerns that could have caused his death; instead, she points to his latest Instagram post.
"All I'll point to is once again that last post of his where he just said he felt like he was 26 again," she says. (Saget was touring as a comedian again, and very happy to be doing so, making people laugh.)
How to Cope With Losing a Spouse
The grieving and recovery process after losing a loved one, especially a partner, is definitely not a "one-and-done" process, many members of the SurvivorNet community have told us. One widower even told us that the idea of "moving on" is not realistic, or even desired.
"I don't even think I want to move on," Doug Wendt, who lost his wife of 25 years to ovarian cancer, tells SurvivorNet during a previous interview. "But I do want to move forward, and that's an important distinction. I encourage anyone who goes through this journey as a caregiver who then has to face loss to think very carefully about how to move forward."
Kelly Rizzo is only about two weeks removed from Bob Saget's death, so it is understandable that the idea of "moving on" is most likely not one she is entertaining right now. And that is OK.
Rizzo's experience moving on from Saget's death has been different from Wendt's experience; dealing with the grief of losing a loved one, especially a partner or spouse, and recovering from that experience is a highly personal process, and everyone goes through it differently.
But having that support system Rizzo talked so passionately about is what will help her, and anyone going through a similar situation, get through it.
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