While falling in love is magical, one of the most beautiful feelings a person experiences in their life, one that makes your dopamine rush and gives you butterflies, losing the person you love is heartbreaking, as it wrecks you. Lauren, an unmarried widow, lives in Dallas, Texas. While previously she lived with Tyler, her now-dead husband, the home is silent, primarily with Lauren Pierce and her pitbull, Khloe, residing in it.
Khloe is Lauren’s oldest and most companion, as she has seen her go and grow through all kinds of happiness and hurdles. It was all a game of fate when, in 2016, the love story of 20-year-old Lauren and 29-year-old Tyler started.
Although they had met before through mutuals and once on a dating site, Lauren finally mustered up the courage to contact him one day. When Lauren saw his reply, she knew this one would last forever!
Lauren was aware of the fact that Tyler had cystic fibrosis. Patients diagnosed with CF usually have a shorter life span and breathing issues, but this was not something that kept her away from Tyler. Instead, no matter how long it lasted, she wanted to give him all the love he deserved and needed.
Once, when Tyler explained breathing in as a cystic fibrosis patient, it broke Laurens’ heart. He said it felt like having a pinched nose and trying to breathe through a straw. After the first conversation, there was nothing but love, and the bond grew with each passing day. They were now inseparable!
Like all other relationships, there were good and bad days, but a few parts of the couple’s day were consistent. These included watching Impractical Jokers before bed, getting back scratches for comfort, and attending hockey games. Moreover, Tyler had a dog that became a part of the beautiful little family.
After two years of building an inseparable bond, Tyler’s health declined.
After a horrifying surgery, he was able to breathe freely for the first time in his life after he received a double lung transplant. Tyler needed constant care, and Lauren gave it all to make him feel okay. From taking care of the medications to feeding him daily, Lauren did it all, although it did drain her as she worked side by side with him.
Everything got better after his recovery until the news that the lungs had started rejecting in late 2020. The doctors gave no positive sign even after so much treatment and care, and so Lauren decided to spend most of his time with the love of her life. The couple spent Thanksgiving together, their last before Tyler passed away on 14th March’2021. It was the call Lauren never wanted to receive. She rushed to the hospital, lay next to him, and held him as long as she could. That day remains the most terrifying nightmare of her life.
Lauren had seen grief in so many different forms, but this was the worst one. It left her confused and searching for meaning in everything. After Tyler’s death, she started reading books about grief and how to cope with such extreme lows. On days she saw Tyler in her dreams, it gave her the comfort she wanted every day. Not just this, Lauren was also able to learn about the term unmarried widow, something that made her finally feel like she belonged somewhere.
Not only this, but while every single day felt like a challenge, Lauren decided to heal herself and others around her, too. For that, I opened a blog, ‘Widowish in Dallas’.
Lauren uses it to share her story, feelings, and the entire journey of love and loss. She wants to be a light for the people who are also on their journey, navigating similar paths. She aims to turn pain into purpose; despite a rocky relationship, the love and memories will forever remain dear to her.
