Running in Trauma Stilettos: A Raw Glimpse at Grief and Life After Loss

by Whitney Lyn Allen

October 2021. Whitney Lyn Allen’s happiness came screeching to a standstill. Stunned by her husband Ryan's rare allergic reaction to a bee sting, the thirty-five-year-old felt hopeless after Ryan succumbed to irreversible brain damage. With his unexpected death leaving a massive gap in their close-knit family, she feared she would never be enough to raise their two young boys. With no support other than her own courage, the widow struggled to build a new life out of the ashes. And by refusing to view herself as a broken victim, Whitney pushed through the heartache and found the strength to thrive. In this moving and gritty account of one woman’s journey after the unimaginable, Whitney Lyn Allen reminisces on her beautiful ten-year love story and the battle to reach hard-won peace. And as she shares how she brought light out of darkness, readers will be touched and inspired to always believe in a better tomorrow. Running in Trauma A Raw Glimpse at Grief and Life After Loss is a heart-wrenching memoir that illustrates the power of resilience and hope. If you like intimate narratives, stories that motivate, and triumph over tragedy, then you’ll be moved by Whitney Lyn Allen’s remarkable reflections.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction

154 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2023

Reviews

[Ruth Oslick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely heartbreaking and raw. But sometimes that’s what love is.

[Alma G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what I expected this to be, but not this.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the author on a social media video and wanted to hear more of her story. I found her first book in audio format on my library’s webpage and checked it out. The story narrates Whitney becoming a widow at 35, with a 3 yr old and being 6 months pregnant. Her husband gets stung by a bee, has an anaphylactic reaction and goes into cardiac arrest. He ends up with an anoxic brain injury and dies six months later. She makes an agonizing decision to put him in hospice, knowing he would not want to live with irreversible brain damage. It is told in a non linear style, as she reminisces of her 10 yr love story. This is a tragic and heartbreaking memoir of her journey of grief, but through it all, she finds a new purpose in life. To write this book to help others know they too can survive the darkest moments in life, and to know that each moment we are on this earth is an absolute miracle, and it is not something to take for granted.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreaking story. My husband died at 34 years old on October 9, 2021. I lived in the Philly suburbs just south of where the author and her family live. This book resonated so much with me — being angry because other people were living and finding pockets of laughter and joy in the misery. Thank you for writing this. I’m so sorry for your loss. I needed to hear someone who actually knows what it’s like tell me that it’s going to be okay.

[Ashley Stankiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished the book in one day in a few sittings. Whitney Allen’s writing is raw, emotional, honest, and brave, sharing her true thoughts and feelings on her journey with her husband from the day of his anoxic brain injury to his death in hospice…my only criticism is the book was not written in chronological order, so it was hard to follow the timeline of events she was describing.

[Meghan K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. So raw and so real. I didn’t want to put this book down. I finished it in less then two hours. Thank you for sharing your awe inspiring story Whitney.

“Remember that even in the deepest out of despair and sadness, there is a redemption story waiting for you.”

[Kay]

I tried listening to the audio book however I honestly didn’t find it a good experience. I won’t rate a personal story based upon loss and grief however going through something similar, I couldn’t relate to the author very much. Perhaps it was her delivery.

[Danielle Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart breaking story. She did a great job of telling the heart wrenching story of her husband, his illness and death. I would have liked knowing what some of her coping skills were during this time in her life.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are not alone...

Thank you, Whitney. I have felt so alone since losing my husband of 30 years within 14 days. Your story has made me realize I am not alone.

[Angie Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Love Story

Great book-tragic, yet uplifting❤️ The relationships with the husbands family were beautiful and heart warming. Thanks for sharing your deepest pain.

[Helen Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read, sad story and a test of resilience

Well done. Such a sad story and she came through it and redefined her life. Very worth my time. Strongly recommend.

[Pia Gasberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book with a powerful message. I felt for her and her children and cried with her. I would have liked to know more about the author's grief journey after the death of her husband, though.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

She was all over the place, very hard to follow

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grateful for Whitney’s perspective that she needed to share the things she has learned with the world.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Widow Recounts Her Trauma Story

Young widow recounts her story of husband with TBI and aftermath, ending in decision to put him in hospice 6 months later.

[Meredith]

Widow Whitney Lyn Allen shares her immense grief as she recounts how her husband suffered an anoxic brain injury caused by cardiac arrest following an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting, dying six months later, and how she struggled to move on with her life without him.

What this book lacks in literary quality (excessive profanity, poor transitions between key events in non-linear storytelling, lingering anger impeding more charitable depictions of persons and interpersonal interactions, name-dropping of status brands), it makes up for in sheer raw emotion. I stumbled across Allen's Instagram posts about her experiences with grief and trauma, and this book fleshes out her story, adding more background and more details. I don't know if the print edition includes photos as I read this on audio. The visual element to her storytelling adds another dimension that words alone cannot express.

This is a tragic and moving story. I was heartbroken for Allen's loss. It perfectly illustrates the unfairness of life. Allen is happily married and six months pregnant with her second child when her 35 year-old husband with no history of allergic reactions suddenly goes into anaphylactic shock and cardiac arrest after being stung by a bee. He is resuscitated, but the brain damage he suffered was so severe that he died six months later after a hellish attempt at rehabilitation.

Allen grieves her husband while he is still technically alive, giving birth to their second son without him. She becomes his caretaker and finally his widow, struggling to navigate her immense grief in the aftermath of his injury and then his impending death. But this books isn't all grief and trauma. Allen also reminisces about the relationship with her husband Ryan and how happy they were as a couple and as a family.

[Devonne West · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tragic, heartbreaking story. A woman is pregnant with her and her husband's second child when her 35-year-old husband has a rare allergic reaction to a bee sting. Her husband stays in a coma for 6 months and during this long ordeal, she has the baby...without her husband by her side, must keep a strong exterior for her other child (who I believe is 4 years old), keeps her own mother at arm's length because of their strained relationship, and makes the decision that would forever change her and her sons' lives - putting her husband Ryan on hospice, where he succumbs to his injuries a couple of weeks later.

Whitney Lyn Allen opens herself up to the world by sharing her most private and vulnerable thoughts and finds the strength within herself for her boys and herself and comes to the realization that life is still beautiful even if it's not how you envisioned it.

NOTE TO SELF: Make certain that I keep ADULT Benadryl in the medicine cabinet!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure greatness !!

This whole book is just profound and encouraging! No matter what I’m d of grief &/or trauma you have been through or are currently going thru… this book will help you in some way!!