Thriving Adoptees Podcast: Feeling Whole With Candace Cahill
Do you yearn to feel whole? Understanding the really tough stuff birth mothers went through (and are still going through) has profound effects on how we adoptees feel. Candace lost her son. Twice. The first time to adoption and the second not long after their reunion twenty years later. She also suffered abuse and was adopted by her stepfather. There is a whole lot of trauma to heal from. And a whole lot of learning to help you on your journey to feeling whole.
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Wondering Tree Podcast: Unveiling a Birth Mother’s Perspective on Adoption, Grief, and Healing
What does it mean to be a birth mother? How do you navigate the emotional terrain of unplanned pregnancies, the heart-rending decision of adoption, and the aftermath of that choice? These are the raw realities we tackle in this potent episode, guided by the strength and resilience of author and birth mother Candace Cahill. As we navigate the complex landscape of motherhood after adoption, delve into the grief that often lingers, and the importance of honoring one’s role in the adoption process, another layer of healing with Host Lisa Ann takes place.
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Another F*****g Writing Podcast: Transforming Guilt into Forgiveness
Candace Cahill, author of Goodbye Again, joins me today to talk about her amazing memoir and the power of communication in healing and transforming guilt into forgiveness.
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Adoption Network Cleveland: The Power of Owning and Telling Our Stories
Candace Cahill recently released her memoir, Goodbye Again, about losing her son twice: first to adoption as an infant and then 23 years later when he died in his sleep. Candace shares what led her to write her memoir, the lessons she learned, and why she would encourage others to do the same. She shares insights into the writing, editing, and publishing processes and some tools and suggestions for others interested in writing their own story.
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Open Adoption Project: A story of Childloss
Goodbye Again author Candace Cahill shares her story of placing her son for adoption, reuniting with him 18 years later, and then tragically losing him again shortly after. She shares how she and the adoptive father of her son have grieved and supported each other together since her son’s passing and how their relationship has supported them both through immense struggles. She talks about the complex emotions of adoption and the elements of coercion, deceit, secrecy, and money that taint it.
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Authors Over 50: A First Mother’s Grief
Author Candace Cahill talks about the journey to write and share her intimate and touching story of relinquishment and adoption.
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Grief is My Side Hustle: A story of Childloss
Candace reunited with the son she’d given up for adoption when he turned 18. Primarily In contact through calls and letters, they met once when he was twenty. Candace worked hard to allow her son to drive the nature of their new connection, only to have him die unexpectedly in his sleep at age 23.
In Candance’s beautiful book Goodbye Again, she shares with us her experience learning to grieve losses that are disenfranchised in our culture. She talks us through pain upon pain, only to ultimately leave the reader holding an incredible story of hope and love.
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The Untold Story of Candace Cahill’s Memoir Goodbye Again
In today’s Untold Story of Central Minnesota, Arts & Cultural Heritage Producer Jeff Carmack talks with SCSU alumna and author Candace Cahill about loss, family, and love through the experience of adoption. Cahill’s new memoir Goodbye Again recounts her journey of placing her son up for adoption when she was young and then reuniting with him decades later, only to lose him again suddenly. Candace Cahill now lives in Alaska but still partners with the St. Cloud State University Department of Social Work. This program is made possible through support from the MN Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
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Adoption Grief and Compounded Losses
Candace Cahill lost her son. Twice. Once, after she was strong-armed into relinquishing him to adoption. The second time, after he died in his sleep not long after they finally met for the first time. Candace’s story will break your heart and put it back together. We discuss her unique periods of grief, adoption, compounded losses, complicated grief, and how her healing journey helped her find a level of compassion and forgiveness she didn’t know she possessed.
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Grief Refuge Podcast
There are people who feel lost and alone because their grief journey is ‘a-typical’. Today’s guest interview with Candace Cahill is filled with her story about relinquishing her son, Michael, and then grieving the loss of his death.
Candace shares several examples of what helped her work through her grief so that she no longer felt lost. Part of her process led to the writing and publishing of her book, Goodbye Again.
If you’ve felt like you have lost someone twice, this interview is for you. Candace’s story is compelling and filled with hope for anyone feeling lost on their grief journey.
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Adoption: The Long View
Candace Cahill placed her son as an infant in 1990. Their semi-open adoption closed when he was 8, but contact was reestablished at 18. After navigating the complexities of reunion for five years and only a single face-to-face meeting, Michael died in his sleep of natural causes. Shocked and devastated at losing him a second time, Candace attended the funeral, where she encountered unexpected compassion from Michael’s family. They proudly introduced her as Michael’s birth mother, which contradicted years of self-sabotaging internal messages. Their acceptance, along with her husband’s encouragement, launched Candace on her path to healing. This episode will help you understand mothering in surprising ways, and you won’t want to miss it.
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Birth Moms Real Talk
Candace went through life without a tremendous amount of self-esteem. She talks about her family traditions of doing what they needed to do. She had a resilient spirit. Candace realized that she had more than she lacked to be a mother.
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The Triad Podcast: Straight to the Heart of Adoption
A deep dive into one birth mother’s experience navigating the aftermath of placement.
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