Dear readers,
These are the hardest words I will ever have to write. My husband, Tim Ketchum, died suddenly last week of what was first thought to be an abdominal aneurysm. Doctors now think he may have had a genetic connective tissue disorder that weakened the structure of his aorta.
He was my partner in every sense of the word. He was my best friend, my confidante, my safe place. And oh, he was such an amazing father. He shared the burden of raising our three children with gusto, being present in a way that most dads will never be.
Everyone who ever met Tim loved him. Even people who only met him in passing were charmed by him. Warm, compassionate, loving, thoughtful. And funny as hell! I fell in love with him because he made me laugh. And even as life became more complicated and serious, we never lost that connection, that goofiness and silliness that made every situation easier to bear.
I feel compelled to share here because I am not quite sure what the future looks like. Certainly for the near term, I will be scaling back my time on All Day I Dream About Food so I can focus on my family and my grief. You will still see posts and recipes from me, but I don’t quite know with what frequency. I will be taking the easy route, updating older posts and sharing simple recipes. I have a backlog of some already that I can share over the next few weeks. I also have help with my social media and I am every so grateful to Stephanie, who has taken over my Facebook page completely for now.
Then again, I may decide to lose myself in the process of baking and create some amazing keto cakes. I honestly don’t know what I want or what I need right now. But I ask that you give me grace for not answering your questions in a timely fashion.
How you can help
I am so fortunate to have created an amazing community of readers and followers, some of whom have been with me for over a decade. I know many of you will want to help in some way. And I am grateful for your thoughts and your kindness.
The best thing you can do is keep coming to my website, reading my posts (both new and old), and sharing my posts on social media. Share to groups, share with friends, and pin my recipes to your Pinterest boards. This website has been my family’s source of income for many years now and views will generate much needed ad revenue. I know that ads can be cumbersome, but I ask that you take time to scroll through each post a little bit.
Another great way to help me is to purchase my cookbooks. In particular, pre-order my upcoming book, The Protein Advantage. I will not have much time to promote it now, but it’s something I worked so hard on. I would love to see it succeed and pre-orders make a huge difference to the overall sales of the book. It helps retailers decide how many copies they want to keep on their shelves. And I can assure you, it’s a book worthy of your time.
Thank you for reading. If you are a spiritual person, please send up some thoughts for the wonderful Tim Ketchum. He was a light in the world and touched so many people. I can say confidently that if you had met him, you would have loved him.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Hi Carolyn,
My sincere sympathy with the lost of your partner. My thought will be with you and family
Carolyn,
Such sad, shocking news. Thank you for sharing your heart with those of us who have been following you for over a decade. Thank you for what you do – I have been so dependent on your recipes and website, and have been successful in managing T1D because of your brilliant ideas!
Much love to you and your family – you are in my thoughts and prayers in the coming days and weeks.
I am so sorry about the sudden passing of your husband. Please take time for your family and yourself. Sending lots of love and prayers!
Having lost my own life partner and instantly becoming an only parent to his son almost 9 years ago, I can say that I am truly sorry for the grief you and your children are feeling now and will feel forever.
I can offer you this promise… that it won’t always hurt this much.
Oh Carolyn, how devastating! I’m so sorry for this indescribable loss. Take all the space and time you need. Sending comfort and love. May Tim’s memory be a blessing.
Oh Carolyn, my heart breaks for you n your family. I can’t imagine the pain you all are going through. Tim sounds like a wonderful guy and I know he will be missed terribly. Take the time you need to get through this difficult time. We are all here for you. Sending hugs n prayers. ♥️🙏♥️
My heart goes out to you and your entire families. Please receive my most sincere condolences. May the hand of God hold your heart together through your pain and bless you with his serenity. Brighter days will come intime
Carolyn, I am so very sorry for your loss. Sending condolences, hugs and prayers for you and your family.
May God bring you peace and comfort in this time. And I am so sorry for your lose. Prayers are with you on this journey.
I’m praying for you, the family, friends, & everyone who knew your dear husband. Please take a moment to read
2 Corinthians 1:3-5. God wants to comfort you & continue bringing you comfort & peace. ❤️
Carolyn, I cannot imagine your grief and suffering. You and your family are in my prayers.
My deepest condolences to you and your family.
Oh Carolyn, I’m so sorry. I was widowed at the ripe old age of 25 by a drunken teenage driver. Your husband sounds like a wonderful man. As you work your way through the grieving process (it comes and goes in waves), hold on to the good memories, but remember that it’s perfectly normal to be angry as hell at the universe, too. I’m holding you and your family in my heart, and want to reassure you that eventually you will find laughter and joy again, although the pain never completely goes away. Give yourselves lots of time to heal on your own schedule.
I am so so sorry to hear of your loss. May his memory always be a blessing.
Oh sweet girl. It blesses my heart to read the tender word you wrote about your husband. You honored him in life and are still doing it now
My heart aches for you and your children at this time. We are all here and I am sure I speak for many when I say we will scroll, interact, like and comment away to keep your blog and social media active during your absence.
Praying for you and your family
{{HUGS}}
I will certainly pray for your family and their ability to cope with the loss.