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 am so sorry for your loss. How tragic! I pray for you and your family as you grieve in the days ahead.
Dearest Carolyn,
We’ve never met or even communicated, but I am so touched by your heartbreak I need to reach out. My heart aches with you and your kids and extended family. It must be difficult to refer to your dear Tim in past tense, as it causes me pause to say it, but you paid a most lovely tribute to him. He must have been a delightful human being.
I am so very sorry. I am praying for you and yours, that you know the peace and comfort of the Lord Jesus Christ. 🩷🙏
Oh Carolyn… what a terrible, awful, overwhelming shock for you all. I am so very sorry for the loss of your Beloved Tom, your lover and bestie, the wonderful Dad. I am sending you love from Melbourne, Australia and I will light a candle for Tom.
Oh, Carolyn –
I can’t imagine what this is like for you and your family. My deepest wishes for peace and strength during this difficult time. So sorry to read this about Tim! Sending love to you –
Karen Krugler
I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you and your family. I’ll keep you in my prayers.
I am so very sorry to hear your sad news. I could always tell you were having fun with him when you were filming. I will keep you in my prayers . One of my dad’s brothers had that issue in the males in the family. it is tragic. I was able to save a cousin who had just married and had a new son. by finding it before it did the terrible damage. One of his younger brothers was saved but not before he had a stroke.
I am so sorry for your loss Carolyn – you have long been a favorite of mine – a pioneer of Keto baking. Your pecan pie bars helped me navigate my early keto days.
I have the vascular phenotype of Ehlers-Danlos (vEDS) a genetic condition that causes one to produce faulty collagen, which results in fragile vasculature and hollow organs.
I would be GLAD to lend an ear, and to talk about resources you may be interested in exploring for the kiddos, should that be necessary.
I’ve been fortunate to have survived the many life threatening ordeals caused by vEDS, early on by sheer luck and later with the care of a knowledgeable multidisciplined medical team and use of medications that limit blood pressure and heart rate spikes that would otherwise put too much pressure through my fragile pipes.
I have two children and several grand babies – I understand all too well the questions you’re having to explore. Hugs.
Thanks so much. We had him tested post-mortem for Ehlers Danlos and it came back negative. Which is good news for my kids, of course. But we are a bit stumped now as to what caused the issues with his aorta. 🙁
As fellow food people, we have loved your posts daily- always as you, concentrating daily on great things to cook and eat and share with friends and family, always a source of daily inspiration, planning, and great nutrition in all phases. It was an absolute delight to come across your work. We continue to do so. Take it easy, having been thru similar events we know what your going thru. We think of you as daily as we cook, plan, cook, do it again, repeat. Have faith and lean on your body of work and recycle it, it will never get old – there are more and more who will discover you. Bless you and your kids. (John and Anna from Massachusetts)
So sorry for your huge loss,you and your family will miss him deeply.Keep his memories close.
7/10/2025
Dear Carolyn,
I was behind in reading emails and just saw your June 26 heartbreaking news about your Tim. It’s never enough to say, “i am so sorry for your loss”, but that statement is so true now when I don’t know what else to say to you. I understand the intense pain you are experiencing. I have prayed for you and your children for God’s blessings and comfort during this terribly sad time.
My best to you….. Erni Moore
So sorry for your loss. You and your family are in my prayers.
Oh Carolyn – I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your Tim. Please know that there are a lot of people lifting you and your family up in prayer. Sending lots of love and hugs your way. Please take as much time as you need. We will be here for you!
I just read your post while sitting in the emergency room with my husband (74 years old). I am so sorry for the loss of your husband. Sending my thoughts and prayers. Sincerely, Brenda Morrison
I hope your husband is okay.
I can’t tell you how very sorry Iam to read this. I look at his photo and yours together…you both looked like a perfect fit for each other; no wonder you were married.
Definately lean on your friends and family. Sometimes it helps to go to Hospice Group Therapy…its free and you wont meet better people in this world. When it was suggested for me, years ago, I thought, why would I want to be around depressed people….? Best thing I ever did because you can be yourself and really start to heal.
I send as much caring and love through the air as I can to you and your children. I am so, so sorry.
When going hour by hour is too much, go minute by minute. Just keep moving.
I just pre ordered your recent book, I love your books….
Just saw this Carolyn very sorry to here your husband died without warning..I pray my God of all hope will comfort you and your family..I hope healing starts soon for you dear one. Candy Alexander
I am so very sorry for your loss. Sending you prayers and love in hope to help ease the pain. 🙏💜