S4 – EP11 – “We Got Married Days Before He Died”: Jess Herrick on Young Widowhood, Cancer and the Life They Didn’t Get
From Widowed AF: Real stories of love, grief and beyond - With Rosie Moss by Rosie Moss
April 13, 2026 · 1h 9m · Season 4 · Episode 11
About this episode
Jess Herrick shares her experience of becoming a widow at 28 after her partner's battle with cancer and discusses the impact of young widowhood.
Jess Herrick was 28 when her partner Max was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. What followed was a year of brutal treatment, long hospital stays, and a kind of life that no one in their twenties expects to be living. Against the odds, Max went into remission and they tried to rebuild. But just a year later, the cancer came back, this time terminal. In this episode, Jess talks about loving someone through illness, becoming a carer in your mid-twenties, and the quiet, devastating losses that come with young widowhood, not just the person, but the future you were meant to have together. They got married in a hospice just days before Max died. Jess also shares what it’s actually like to be widowed at 28, the messy reality of grief in your twenties, and why she’s now helping other young widows find each other through peer support. This one is raw, honest, and devastating, but also full of love.
People in this episode
Host: Rosie Moss
Guest: Jess Herrick
Topics covered
- young widowhood
- cancer
- grief
- love
- peer support
- illness
- loss
Keywords
- widowhood
- cancer
- grief
- young adults
- love
- support
- loss
- marriage
- hospice
- caregiver
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: hospice
More episodes of Widowed AF: Real stories of love, grief and beyond - With Rosie Moss
- S.4 Ep.19 He Was Planning Our Wedding: Josie Jakub on Suicide Loss, Love and Life After Olivier · June 8, 2026 · 1h 16m
- S4- EP18 - “I Could Never Regret Loving Her” Danny Lesslie on Grief, Gratitude and Raising Their Girls Alone · June 1, 2026 · 1h 11m
- S4 – EP17 – “I Thought I Was Broken”: Emma Grey on Late Diagnosis, Grief and Learning to Regulate · May 19, 2026 · 1h 9m
- S4 – EP16 – “This One Was Different”: Donna Rice-Hannam on Hospital Failures, Grief and Surviving Without Mark · May 18, 2026 · 58 min
- S4 – EP15 – “I Don’t Know Where to Go for Comfort Now”: Corinne Longland-Malam on Sudden Loss, Trauma and Surviving After Lee · May 11, 2026 · 1h 1m
- S4 – EP14 – “Katie’s Death, On Her Terms”: Jackie L. Disch on Love, Advocacy and Loss · May 4, 2026 · 51 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Widowed AF: Real stories of love, grief and beyond - With Rosie Moss podcast page.