Bernard Branigan lost his beloved wife Zipporah, the mum of their seven sons, in April
A grieving husband who lost his beloved wife and mother of their seven children suddenly has opened up on the pain that he feels everyday as he dedicates himself to raising his young family.
Zipporah Branagan passed away suddenly on April 29, leaving behind her devastated husband Bernard and the seven young boys they had together, Noah, Theo, Teddy, Isaac, Hugo, Ezra and baby Cooper.
Since then Bernard has been doing all that he can to stay strong for his sons while also embracing the immense grief that he has for his wife, encouraging his boys to talk about her as much as they can.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, Bernard said that he always feels her presence with them and knows that in some way she has helped to guide them over these difficult months.
He said Zipporah was an amazing mother to her boys and that he never realised just how much she did look after them and Bernard who said that if he can be “10% of the parent she was” then he would be happy.
Bernard said: “Everyday feels like groundhog day for me, I just feel empty inside, but I know I need to hold things together for the boys.
“It is painful all the time but I want to embrace every bit of grief and I have been encouraging the boys to talk about their mum and how wonderful she was.
“She really was such a brilliant mum, I never imagined half of the things that she did for us. The way people talk about how well mannered our boys are is a testament to the values and morals that she instilled them and raised them.
“The difficult thing is knowing everything that she is going to miss, like our eldest heading off to big school next year, our youngest’s first steps, first girlfriends, everything that she would have loved to be there for.
“I don’t know how I am going to manage Halloween this year and I don’t even want to think about Christmas, they were days that Zipporah really knew how to make special with matching PJs for the boys and everything decorated.
“I am just grateful that we have so much support out there and people who have been there for us over the past few months. From our family and local GAA clubs to the local Presbyterian Church who have been incredible, I really don’t know where we would be if it wasn’t for there help.”
Bernard said that after posting a recent video on social media where he spoke about how he was trying to cope with the loss of his “unbelievable” wife, he has been inundated with over 1,500 messages of support from people across the world with some sharing their experiences of grief and the effect it has had on them.
He said that he knows that he will grieve Zipporah every day for the rest of his life and is looking at ways that he can possibly help others cope with the grief they may have.
Later this month Bernard is hosting an evening at Burrendale Hotel, Newcastle, where people are being invited to come and discuss the impact grief has had on their lives and talk about the experiences they have had.
Bernard said: “The aim of the night would be sort of like an AA meeting for grief where people will be able to come together with others who are grieving and speak about their experiences, or not, in a safe and welcoming environment.
“I am very thankful for the support of the Burrendale Hotel and the evening will be completely free for people to attend and they just need to drop me a message saying they would like to go.
“Grief can make you feel like you are alone in this world, but I know from the messages I have received in the past few weeks that we are not alone and I hope that this evening can help people come together and find strength while acknowledging the grief we feel.”
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