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The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations
Suicide loss changes everything. The Leftover Pieces® Podcast explores life after suicide through honest conversations with survivors, experts, and grieving parents learning to live forward after unimaginable loss. Parents, partners, siblings, and friends share what it means to keep living when the world has been forever changed.
Hosted by Melissa Bottorff-Arey, whose 21-year-old son Alex died by suicide in 2016, the show blends intimate conversations with survivors, healers, and mental health professionals with short solo reflections you can actually use. Together we explore child loss, trauma and nervous-system care, anniversaries and seasons, stigma, faith and meaning, legacy, and the everyday practices that help make life livable again.
At its heart, this podcast is about learning to live forward after loss. We never move on from the people we love, but we can learn to carry the grief differently. This road can feel incredibly lonely—but you are not alone here.
For supporters, educators, and professionals, these conversations also offer insight into the realities of suicide grief and what genuine, non-fixing support can look like.
If you’d like to share your story or expertise, you can request to be a guest through Melissa’s website.
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Content Note
This podcast speaks candidly about grief and suicide loss and may feel activating for some listeners. We avoid graphic descriptions and discussion of suicide methods. Please care for yourself as needed. Melissa is not a doctor or licensed therapist, and nothing shared here should be considered medical or mental-health advice.
The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations
Behind the Coffee Cup; A Sister's 'Anger to Love' Walks
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
REGISTER for Monthly SIBLING SUPPORT after Suicide loss HERE
Today I release a conversation with a sister talk about her baby brother Teddy. At 43, she lost her only sibling to suicide. Our personalities making us fast friends, Jen & I dug right in & discuss so many things surrounding, loss by suicide, AFSP & more... A bit more about her:
"Jen Hoye is a passionate mental health and suicide prevention advocate, a board member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Massachusetts Chapter, and a suicide loss survivor. Jen lost her brother, Teddy Fusco, Jr., to suicide in May 2017.
Before July 2021, Jen Hoye hadn’t run in nearly 30 years – when she was on her high school cross country team. Several years after her brother Teddy’s suicide, Jen began walking for her physical & mental health. Jen was inspired by her brother to complete #HealingMiles remembrance walks and runs in honor of others who have died by suicide. Since September 2020, she has dedicated Healing Miles to hundreds of men, women, and children from across the globe. Today, Jen has completed a number of races representing Team AFSP, including the Boston Marathon (2021, 2022), & several more. Jen also completed her first ultramarathon to celebrate her upcoming 50th birthday. Her goal is to support the AFSP’s mission to bring hope to those impacted by suicide – and to run Healing Miles in memory of others – in every state of the US. Jen has been featured on a number of podcasts, radio shows, and international video panels, as well as in the news media. She lives in Taunton, MA, with her family, three rescue dogs, cat, and chickens."
Find here HERE Jen Fusco Hoye | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
Her message of HOPE is to take care of yourself, outside of serving others, because you will need to be 'good' before you can truly be that help.
Today we discuss:
- Teddy's death was completely a surprise - & his personality 'type' that is so common (as I have come to understand)
- The chasm of life "after" & rebuilding despite its unrelenting presence
- Years of unacknowledged grief masquerading as anger (aka living IN the chasm)
- How the 'rage' served it's purpose BUT ALSO had a cost!
- What happened during Covid that forced a 'shift'...
- Her 'talks' (walks) & how her anger turned toward kindness & how that was healing. Choosing to LIVE & BE the real YOU
- Marathons, AFSP, her 'Sicilian-ness' & more
FIND JEN (usually daily) behind that coffee cup, her beaming, infectious smile & that lovely leg tattoo - on Instagram HERE - FOLLOW HER NOW for a daily dose of good 'medicine' for your soul! And you can USE #healingmiles if you run!
Support the show
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My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.
REGISTER for Monthly SIBLING SUPPORT after Suicide loss HERE
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with suicidal thoughts PLEASE reach out:
CALL 988 OR, you can also TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA
Click to Send a Text or Voicemail to Melissa
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The Leftover Pieces is Support for Life After Suicide Loss. Click links below
🎙 Leave me a message: Share a question, your story, or your person’s name for a future episode → theleftoverpieces.com/voicemail
Support After Suicide Loss
If you are grieving after suicide loss, you do not have to carry this alone.
Visit The Leftover Pieces for podcast episodes, grief support, resources, and ways to connect with Melissa’s work: https://theleftoverpieces.com
or Join Melissa’s email list: https://theleftoverpieces.com/join
If you someone you love is in immediate crisis or may be in danger, please call or text 988 in the United States. You can also text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line