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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I’m sure you will be bombarded with comments so I’ll keep it short. Yours is my favorite of all the keto blogs on social media. I am a spiritual minded person and have already offered a prayer on your behalf. Take all the time you need to heal and may you feel the loving embrace of God during your time of grief.
So very sorry for your loss. Praying for God’s love, peace and comfort for you and your family!
I can’t imagine what you are going through. What a terrible loss! Keep your family close so you can all get through this together. The loneliness will hit harder even more, later on, but you are strong and will become stronger as you get through this.
I can’t tell you how hard it is to lose your one and only. Everyone is different. It took me a solid year to get myself right again. It will get easier, but the grief never goes away. Now I remember the good times. Still a day or two (or 10) that I just sit and cry. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Best of luck on your journey. I appreciate all your recipes and have preordered your book. Big ‘ol’ bear hug. Kelly
Carolyn, my deepest sympathy goes out to you! I know how difficult it is even when you are a strong independent woman. I know because I lost my husband of 26 years about 12 years ago. I does get better over time, but life is never the same. Cherish your memories of him!
So sorry for your and your family’s loss. Grief is hard to deal with because no one wants to go through it, but it is necessary to carry on. Give yourself permission to cry,scream, get angry and laugh over memories that have happened and will never happen. Know that we will be here for you when you return. Prayers and hugs to you all.
I am so very sorry for you and your family’s loss. Prayers for peace and comfort.
My heart goes sad for you and your precious children, thinking of the sudden loss of your husband and their father. My thoughts and prayers will definitely be with you. Don’t even be concerned about losing me as a subscriber, I will be here as long as you are. I will say with no embarrassment that I am praying for you and your family. Please take care of yourself.
Janet Copeland
Oh Carolyn. I’m so heartbroken about your loss. Sending lots of love your way and can only say what a wonderful person Tim seems to have been. Certainly someone I’m sorry to have never met. Take care of yourself— someone who I’ve always considered to be pretty wonderful in your own right.
Heartbroken for you Carolyn ❤️
Praying for peace and grace beyond what you’ve ever known for yourself and your kids.
I am an avid fan of yours and am saddened by your loss. it is crippling for a time and you need need to grieve in your own way. Understand on many levels as my hubby had the same and discovered he did have Marfans which caused this. Make sure to have the kids tested down the road as it is genetic and they can have it and show no symptoms til they do. Hugs and prayers
My deepest sympathies on your huge loss. What a shock to your system! My thoughts are with you and your family. I will most certainly do as much as I can to promote your business. We are with you! Your recipes have helped me so much in my journey to lose weight and better my health. It’s the least I can do. Sincerely, A loyal follower
Oh my friend…..I am so very sorry for your loss. Your community holds you and your family in our hearts right now.
I am so very sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry to read about the loss of your dear husband and partner. there are never words that will adequately comfort or heal that sort of void in your life. I am a spiritual person and I’m a believer in My Savior Jesus Christ and even if you are not know that I will continue to think of you in my prayers. I know your family will have plenty to deal with and in my opinion your recipes are worth every minute of time that I spend looking and experimenting with them and I will continue to do so. I hope that will help
love and prayers from your low-carb friend in Utah
I am so sorry for your loss. Praying for you and your family.