The Dead Moms Club - Book Review

Just in time for Mother's Day, here's a book for those of us who no longer have moms. Kate Spencer's The Dead Moms Club is a memoir about Kate's mother dying from pancreatic cancer when Kate was 27. It's an honest look at how Kate handled her grief and how she continues to handle it (because, no, it never goes away) now that she's married and is a mom herself.

Someone I follow on Instagram also lost her mom, and she posted an Insta Story about reading this book not too long ago. So it's one that has been on my radar, but because it wasn't available in my library system, it took me awhile to actually get the book. I bought it, you guys! I never buy books unless I've read them before and like them enough to want them on my shelf, but this one just felt like I had to have it even before I had read it.

I loved how Kate Spencer compared a water balloon to the experience of loss. You think you're prepared, and you somehow expand to fit in the "fear, anxiety, and sorrow", and then it all just hits you and explodes.

Our scenarios were different, but a lot of what Kate writes about felt familiar. One of the same things we experienced were the swab sticks we used to keep our moms hydrated once they were home in hospice. And just like Kate, I, too, thought that hospice would give us more time. Kate's mom died in nine months. Mine died in less than two weeks. And like Kate, I still have moments when I hear or experience something and I think, "I gotta tell my mom!" Because I know that she's the person who would care to hear about it. Or I know that she would have something to say about it. But I can't tell her anymore.

If you're looking for a way to find some humor in your sadness, whether you've just lost your mom or she's been gone for years, then I would recommend reading this book. It's not a fun club to be part of, but we're all members and we're all here for each other, especially during Mother's Day.