Alex James is joined in our  studio by Valerie Lissaman

Valerie affectionately known as ‘ Aunty Val’ ,is mother to Steven, who died suddenly as the result of a road traffic accident. If you’ve read Alex’s  book ‘Living with Bereavement’ you’ll know that it is dedicated  Steven’s memory.

In this interview Aunty Val shares a little of Steven’s story and of how she has survived his death.

“It’s not easy to revisit , you never forget,even after 45 years it can still be very painful.  There were times in the early days after his death when I was so numb, like once I just got off the bus on my way to work and I walked for ages in the snow.When I got to work I realised I  had bare feet, my feet were raw but I felt nothing.I didn’t notice the seasons either. I couldn’t cry.”

Alex and Aunty Val also talk about the support they received at the time of Stevens death and afterwards from Simon Steven’s ,founder of Compassionate Friends

Listen here to the full interview

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The Compassionate Freinds website address is http://www.tcf.org.uk/