Second Half: Surviving Loss and Finding Magic in the Missing

by Kelsey Chittick

Kelsey Chittick was in a great place. Her husband, the love of her life since college at the University of North Carolina, had finished a grueling six years in the NFL and had successfully transitioned into a new, fulfilling career in finance. They lived in a charming town in California with their children Jack and Addison, and everyone was flourishing.Then one day, tragedy struck. On 11/11/17, her husband Nate—a huge, happy, intense, and passionate man—dropped dead at 42 in front of their kids. Kelsey’s biggest fear had come true, and she had to decide how to move forward.In Second Half, Kelsey Chittick pays a heartfelt and hilarious tribute to Nate Hobgood Chittick’s tremendous spirit, muses about marital life and co-parenting, and shares her own dark and inspiring journey through heartbreak and loss. Second Half is Kelsey’s story of turning his death into an affirmation of life as well as the power of love and the pursuit of peace and gratitude.

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2021

Reviews

[Carol Schumacher]

Perfect

This book is a testament to faith and love and hope. The Bible says that these three remain, but the greatest of these is love.
Kelsey has it figured out and her story inspires me and gives me hope. Thank you Kelsey for sharing your journey with us. We are better for hearing it.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this; the author was incredibly brave to be so candid about the experience of being suddenly widowed. Ultimately, an uplifting story.

I would also recommend listening to the podcast interview Dr. Peter Attia did of the author.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes me dislike football even more. I didn’t always get the chronology of the events.

[Vicki Lindley-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my normal type of read but I book club I follow on Instagram recommended it. I also don’t normally pay full price for a book but I’m really glad I did. It was a mixture of being so totally heartbreaking that I sobbed (proper ugly crying mode was activated) my way through bits of it and to the other extreme of being so uplifting despite the subject. I totally admire Kelsey Chittack. She has and continues to over come such huge emotional turmoils but has done so with her children’s happiness in mind. I Googled her husband and saw some videos of him, he really did look like a gentle giant.
The subject of how his sport could of ultimately caused him to die was extremely thought provoking and worrying.
Even though death and the thought of losing anyone I love can make me have a panic attack I would highly recommend this book.