Young widows Kayla Psaradellis and Nadine Allouche turn grief into change after losing husbands
After losing their husbands, Kayla Psaradellis and Nadine Allouche are now on a mission to help others in Australia with the support of boxers Billy Dib and Anthony Mundine. See the video.
Exclusive: Noone one expects to farewell a partner in their 20s or 30s.
But the unthinkable happened to Kayla Psaradellis, 26, and Nadine Allouche, 37 – and together they are helping others navigate the difficult journey of widowhood.
The mothers, who lost the loves of their lives to cancer within a year of each other, have launched a podcast across all social platforms called “Married Now Widowed”, detailing the unique challenges of losing a spouse at a young age.
“I’m no expert in grief, but I have first hand experience,” Mrs Psaradellis, who did not know Mrs Allouche until she enviably joined the lonely widows club, said.
“I want us to form a community and build a platform where other grievers can find comfort and support and be surrounded by those of us who know what it’s like to be in their shoes.”
Mrs Psaradellis met her husband, Mohamed Hammoud, when he was five years into his fight against clear cell sarcoma – a rare and aggressive soft tissue cancer.
“Behind closed doors we fought hard together in a mental and physical battle everyday,” Ms Psaradellis said.
“Our lives had become routine doctor’s appointments, frantic trips to the emergency department and a pharmacy in our pantry. Surgery after surgery and constant bad news, we couldn’t catch a break.
Mr Hammoud, 34, died in 2022 — seven months after the birth of their son Haydar.
“I would give almost everything to do the things most of us take for granted … above all else, I want to see research and funding for rare cancers reach unprecedented levels,” Mrs Psaradellis said.
Mrs Allouche’s husband Michael’s battle with goblet cell adenocarcinoma, which originated in his appendix, was much shorter.
“It all started in August 2020 with severe abdominal pain,” Mrs Allouche said.
“We were told there were only two professors in Australia that perform these life changing surgeries.”
Despite successful surgery, the 50-year-old’s cancer had returned aggressively a year later in his small intestine.
He passed away on July 16, 2021, during the pandemic, with only a few family members, including their two daughters, able to say their goodbyes.
“If only Michael’s initial symptoms had been recognised as signs of something more sinister, or had they removed his appendix, perhaps his story could have been different,” Mrs Allouche said.
There are 200 types of rare cancer.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 169,500 new cancer cases will be diagnosed this year, 24 per cent of which will be rare or less common.
And of the 52,700 people expected to die from cancer in 2024, one third (16,055 people) will be attributed to rare or less common cancers.
Rare Cancers Australia’s chief executive Christine Cockburn said there were also anywhere between 8000 to 10,000 Australians paying themselves for lifesaving medicines not subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
“Frustratingly there are many diagnostic and treatment methods that are here now,” Ms Cockburn said.
“But policy, bureaucracy and reimbursement barriers prevent the 40,000 Australians diagnosed with RLC cancers every year from accessing them (leading some to seek treatment overseas).”
DIB AND MUNDINE BACK WIDOWS’ EFFORT
Two-time world champion Billy Dib has also been at the depths of despair after battling cancer and being told he won’t box again.
He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2022 and has since made a full recovery.
The champion boxer also lost his beloved wife, Sara, just eight weeks after she was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2015.
“Everyone knows that cancer sucks and I feel like cancer is something that’s a big part of my life now,” Dib said.
“Prior to being sick with cancer, I wanted the world and everything in it. I was all about trying to attain things and I was neglecting the things that were important.
“And when a doctor tells you that you’ve got six months to live, you can’t give that doctor a billion dollars to give you another year of life.
“My message to each and every single person is only spend your time with people that you value, because time is something that you’ll never get back.”
Anthony Mundine knowns first-hand the effects of losing loved ones to cancer. His uncle, aunty and many friends have succumbed to the illness.
“It’s important for me to help (Nadine and Kayle) because I’ve had really close family succumb to cancer,” he said.
“And it’s left a big hole in the family, close friends too.
“I know from a distance what they’re going through, but I couldn’t imagine it being someone as close as a partner.”
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Originally published as Young widows Kayla Psaradellis and Nadine Allouche turn grief into change after losing husbands
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