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’ve used some of your recipes from your Youtube channel and just saw this post. I am so sorry and hope that the precious memories of your husband will help you as you move through life. Please be sure not to isolate, hold on tight to the people who care about you, have patience with and give yourself grace. I pray peace, bleassings and much love for you and your family.
Sending so much love to you and your kiddos. I cannot imagine the grief and shock. May Tim’s memory be a blessing to you all.
I will be praying for you and your family. Grief comes in waves; take your time to heal and care for your family.
You mentioned a genetic disorder. I hope your children are okay. I have Vascular Ehlers Danlos. It can cause aneurysms or heart attacks. My eldest daughter, unfortunately, inherited it from me. My other two children are carriers. The worry is huge! I will be praying for peace for you and yours.
Thanks, Virginia. We had some of his tissue tested after he died and EDS was not present in his genetic testing. So we are left wondering what, exactly, happened…
I would like us offer you my condolences to you and your family on your tragic loss Carolyn. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
During a well overdue catch-up is my emails I have found your heartbreaking news. I send my thoughts and hugs to you and your family during this sad time. Carolyn, your Keto recipes are excellent and you are truly gifted. Thank you. I hope you find peace during this difficult time.
Sacha, Isle of Wight, UK
I’m so very sorry for your loss. I’ve been following your posts, purchased cookbooks and will certainly keep you and your sweet family in my thoughts.
I am sorry for your loss. My prayers with you. God bless you Dear Carolyn!
Sincerely,
Laura
This is truly heartbreaking. God bless you as you continue and find your way.
dear Carolyn,
I am so very sorry to hear of this loss of your husband. No words can ease this pain.
Thank you for all your hard work all these days
Today is July 31. Because I spent the last two months on my own serious medical journey, I just now learned of your devastatingly loss.
Count me among your supporters.
Hope you are feeling better.
I am so sorry for your loss, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
So sorry. My husband of over 3 decades died suddenly while I was at work. He was my soulmate and like your husband everybody loved him. Do what you can and need to do. We all love your content and you deserve support.
I am so sorry to hear it.
I have been a follower on YouTube and hadn’t seen anything in awhile. Now I understand and just wanted you to know that my thoughts & prayers are with you as well as your family. I am so so sorry for your loss. 🙌🏻🙌🏻❤️
Hang in there. Thinking of you.
I’m so sorry for your families loss. I will keep you and your children in my prayers, May God give you all the strength to continue with your journey, 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I’ve been far behind in my email & just read about your husband. I’m sending you so very much sympathy & understanding. Our marriage sounds as tho it’s been a lot like yours so I can partly understand how devestated you’ve been feeling. May you be blessed in this time of sorrow with love & understanding & support from all who care for you.
Barb Ross
Thank you.