Lindzi Scharf on Losing Her Daughter and Choosing Joy Each Day

Kelly has been wanting to have this conversation for a long time, and she's so glad she finally did. Her guest is Lindzi Scharf, a writer, entrepreneur, and mother who lost her daughter Evan at just three and a half years old to an incredibly rare mitochondrial disease. Evan was only the 27th child in the world known to have her specific condition.

What makes this conversation so special is the way Lindzi talks about Evan. It is not dark or heavy. It is full of joy, full of love, and full of the kind of hard-earned wisdom that only comes from living through something this profound. Kelly admits she was nervous to have a child loss parent on the podcast, scared of saying the wrong thing. But Lindzi has a way of making you feel like you can ask anything, and that saying the wrong thing is always better than saying nothing at all.

They talk about what it was like to know from early on that time with Evan was limited, how that shaped the way Lindzi chose to live every single day, and what it means to actively choose joy in the face of the unimaginable. They also get into what people can do to support a grieving parent, how to talk about someone who is gone, and the complicated question of past versus present tense. Plus, there is a beautiful connection involving Evan's favorite song that will give you chills.

This episode comes out right around what would have been Evan's birthday. Happy birthday, Evan.

Follow Kelly on Instagram @KellyRizzo and keep the conversation going there.

You can find Linzi on instagram at @lindzischarf

Thank you to Lifeway Foods for sponsoring this episode. For more info about Lifeway please visit www.lifewaykefir.com

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