A husband has told how he struggled to cope following the sudden death of his wife, he called "his world" and he has now set up a bereavement group to help others in a similar situation.
Karl Stevens, 57, a lorry driver, had gone to work as normal but later he was unable to contact his wife Sam, 48, and when emergency services went to her home they found her dead.
Sam suffered from multiple sclerosis and died from heart complications, reported HullLive.
Karl, who was married to Sam for 10 years, said: "Both for me and Sam it was perfection. We'd argue from time to time but 99.9% we were great. It was a fantastic marriage and relationship. I could not have been more happy if I'd tried, she was everything to me, she was my world."
Sam was a senior A&E nurse in Manchester before moving back to Bridlington, where she was brought up, and becoming a manager of nursing homes in Hull and East Yorkshire.
She had been suffering from ill-health and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, five years before her death, which led to her requiring a wheel chair - but she continued to work full time.
Since Sam's death on March 22, last year, Karl has struggled to cope with his devastating loss.
He has told how he was first provided with NHS support when experiencing suicidal thoughts but when this receded he found support for his bereavement difficult to find.
"One organisation doesn't take on anybody for six months until after a loss," said Karl.
He sought a bereavement group as he felt that would be the best for him.
"I'm quite a sensitive and emotional sort of person. I found I wanted to be with others who've been through the same. People who've suffered grief understand what you're going through," he said.
Karl did not find a group and decided to create one in Hull.
"All of the searches that were coming back were for dating sites for like widows and you don't want that," he said.
"It sort of terrifies me in a way that other people are going through what I'm going through. The world just comes to an end for them. In my case, my wife's, there was no warning. It horrifies me [...] that other people are going to be suffering."
Karl's free group will not have any trained therapists but will be a means for the bereaved and those supporting them to share their experiences and also memories of those they grieve. He hopes the group will help provide support to those in a similar position to him.
He has now found a venue for the meetings that plan to be held every first Saturday of each month at 10.30am, starting from September 3. The Reverend Chris van Straaten is supporting the initiative and offered facilities at St Andrew's Church, Grandale, to host the meetings.
Karl said: "I use the terminology of like an AA meeting. I appreciate it's not for everyone, some people keep their grief personal and private and that's up to them. There's no right way or wrong way with grief."
Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.
