Widow of Hatboro police officer releases book after life-changing loss
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The widow of a Hatboro police officer who died from a rare complication to a bee sting is opening up about her loss in hopes of helping others. She released a new book about her journey to finding joy after a life-changing loss.
Whitney Allen was pregnant with the couple's second child back in October 2021 when her husband, Ryan Allen, suffered a heart attack and rare brain injury following a bee sting. He would never recover and died the following April.
"Grief is not what we see in the movies, it's not even what I thought it was before Ryan's accident," Whitney Allen said.
Whitney Allen is opening up about her path to making a new life after the devastating loss of her husband, Hatboro K-9 police officer Ryan Allen.
"A lot of people they think they have to grieve fully before they can live fully and I want to teach people that they can still live and find joy in their lives and move forward while grieving because the grief is always going to be there," Allen said.
The 36-year-old single mother of 5-year-old Jackson and 1-year-old Leo's new book "Running in Trauma Stilletos" hopes to help others struggling in the trenches of grief.
"We don't talk about grief and death enough, and we don't talk about tragedy enough in a real and raw way, which is exactly why I wrote my book because I don't want anyone to feel alone in all those complex emotions that you feel," Whitney Allen said.
She says part of her journey to a new normal includes journaling, nature and exercise.
"Ryan, my late husband, lived his life so beautifully the way he lived his life makes me feel like I can find joy and gratitude and I feel closer to him in that state than in pain and anguish," Whitney Allen said.
Since Ryan's death, Whitney Allen has studied to become a certified grief educator and says her goal in sharing her story is to help others transform their hurt into hope.
"The one thing I've learned is that is so multifaceted, it's so complicated, it's so messy but grief is also really beautiful because it teaches you how to live life to the fullest every day," Allen said. "Because you know and you realize how short life is and how you shouldn't take it for granted."
Whitney's book "Running in Trauma Stilettos" is available on her website and Amazon.