RTE's Ryan Tubridy was inspired by the story of a brave mum-of-four who tragically lost her husband suddenly.
Doctor Suzanne Crowe told radio host Tubridy on Monday morning about how her husband Barry, an investment banker, passed away suddenly in 2019.
They had met when she was training to be a doctor and married a year later.
Crowe is a consultant in pediatric intensive care at Crumlin hospital and president of the Medical Council.
The Bray, Co Wicklow native, has faced many challenges to organise and care for four kids at different stages of schooling.
There was loneliness in the early mornings and evenings as a solo parent.
Suzanne explained that becoming a consultant in any speciality and having a young family is very tricky to manage.
Her husband Barry was 53 when he passed away.
She said: "I retreated in a way, I really wanted to batten down the hatches and focus on the children.
"I wanted to create a system that held them in a position of safety.
"They were terrified that something else was going to happen in some way.
"I parked a lot of my own issues, creating some sense of normality with the rigours of day-to-day life."
Around the one year anniversary of Barry's passing was a particularly difficult time for Suzanne.
Suzanne told Ryan Tubridy on RTE Radio One: "That was a really awful time, it was the lowest point.
"Since then, I'm on my way back to the sun.
"I found the mornings incredibly difficult.
"I really relied on exercise as a saviour for my mental health, I got into yoga.
"I think exercise is a wonderful way to lift the mood and talking to friends."
Dr Suzanne Crowe graduated in Medicine from TCD, followed by Specialist training in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine with the College of Anaesthesiologists.
She wakes up early around five or six each morning and does some housework before waking up her children for breakfast.
Most of the time she tries to sit down with her family at home at around seven in the evening for dinner but that can vary due to her being on call.
She said: "I'm contented day-to-day, a million times better than I was."
