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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So sorry for your sudden loss. Remember to lean on friends for help. It’s not imposition, it’s a sharing.
sweet friend, my heart is breaking for you and I will share, buy and pray for you
So saddened to hear of your husband’s passing. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Sincerest condolences. ❤️ ~Ashley from Pennsylvania
Beautiful Carolyn and Daughters, My heart is broken for you and your family. May God wrap you all in His loving care and hold you up as you walk through this very difficult time.
Your encouragement and hard work to produce such important content for anyone in need of improving their health and to tantalize their tastebuds while pursuing healthy alternatives has been so needed and so appreciated. Your ingenious way of cutting out negative sugars and carbs in place of better choices and creating delicious options as well as making food something to be excited about again has truly made our quest to stave off obesity, cancers, inflammation, insulin-resistance/diabetes, metabolic syndrome and other diseases & conditions so much easier and so far, very successful for my family! Your first Dessert cookbook kick-started our no-and low-sugar, low-carb and keto journey years ago! Thank you so much for all you’ve done for others!
I did pre-order your new Protein Advantage Cookbook about a month ago and we are looking forward to it!
Wishing you Strength, Love and All God’s Blessings🙏❤️
Carolyn, I am so very sorry for your devastating loss. Sending love and light your way.
Tim will always be with you. His humor and kindness lives on with you, it is plain for all of us to see. Hugs from one stranger to another. Peace.
Carolyn, my sincerest condolences for your tremendous loss. You are in my prayers and know that Tim is in the best hands right now, Jehovah God’s.
May your grief heal and your family stay strong and loving.
Laurie N
So very sorry for your loss. Praying you find comfort in the treasured memories you have so many of. Be blessed ❤️
Oh, Carolyn, I’m sending tons of love and prayers to you and all your loved ones. 💕💔
I’m so sorry. Please take the time you need to grieve and heal. Your priority is you and your family now. We’ll be here when you decide the time is right.
So so sorry to hear of your husband’s passing. I will Keep you in my prayers.
TeriR
Thank you for sharing. This truly is heartbreaking news. I’m so very sorry for your loss I will be praying for your family. I love all your recipes so much. You are amazing I’m thankful for you and appreciate all the hard work you put into them.
I’m so so sorry to hear of your loss, Carolyn! Loss and grief are a very hard load to bear. It takes time to get over the shock to your entire life and system. I pray you find your way through it all.
Carolyn, so sorry for your incredible loss. Losing a loved one so unexpectedly hits twice as hard. Sending many prayers for your family. Hold your children tight and just love each other through it. Your husband sounds like he was an incredible man and you and your children are so blessed to have had the time you had with him. Always keep your memories of him alive and talk about those memories often. It is painful at times, but therapeutic as well. Much love to you and your family!
Dear Carolyn,
I am so sorry to hear of the sudden and devastating loss of your beloved husband. You have helped so many people to live a healthier life. Please take all the time you need to adjust to this new reality. Love and hugs to you and yours.
So eloquently put. I envy your gift of words.
Dear Carolyn, I recently had my whole genome sequenced. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome as I suspected my whole life. My brothers seemed to have worse symptoms than I. I lost one at age 46. Another does have an aortic aneurysm and has sort of Chinese handcuff wrapped around it to keep him safe. I’m so sorry for your loss. Perhaps at some point you could use your influence to advocate for education and genetic research and testing for the 13 types of this under-diagnosed condition. I have so enjoyed your recipes. Please take care of yourself 💖