S4 – EP6 – Five Weeks in Limbo: Natalie Dodds on Trauma, ICU Vigil and Fighting for Answers

About this episode

Natalie Dodds shares her journey of grief and trauma following the loss of her partner in a workplace accident, discussing parenting, bureaucracy, and the complexities of love and loss.

In this episode, Rosie Moss speaks with Natalie Dodds. Natalie is a mum of two who lost her partner, Dave, following a workplace crane collapse. She speaks with clear eyed honesty about parenting through shock, bureaucracy and the long tail of grief, while still finding ways to keep Dave’s humour and presence alive at the family dinner table. We begin with life before. How Natalie and Dave met, built a home and became parents. Alongside that joy came an earlier rupture, the stillbirth of their daughter, Emily Daisy, at just over 38 weeks. Natalie shares the visceral reality of delivering on a main ward while hearing other babies cry, and the complex coexistence of grief and love that followed. In time, she volunteered with SANDS and welcomed two more children, carrying both loss and hope. At the heart of this conversation is the day of the accident. The unexpected paramedic call. The 126 mile drive. The 7pm news report confirming a crane collapse in Crewe. The moment “alive” became the only word that mattered. What followed was five weeks of ICU limbo. Sedation, ventilation, internal bleeding and sepsis. Dark humour. Small kindnesses from staff. Impossible choices about…

People in this episode

Host: Rosie Moss

Guest: Natalie Dodds

Topics covered

• grief
• trauma
• parenting
• loss
• ICU experience
• workplace accident
• mental health

Keywords

• grief
• trauma
• ICU
• parenting
• workplace accident
• loss
• SANDS
• sepsis
• dark humour
• bureaucracy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SANDS

Places: Crewe

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