Category Archives: Diana Moran

Few us will escape the experience of losing a loved one through death at some time in our lives. As a young teenager my own mother’s sudden death from a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 47 years has had a profound effect on my life. It caused me great distress and the trauma of discovering my dear mother dead in the bathroom of our home still haunts me today. The moment I saw her my childhood ended abruptly and overnight I was forced to grow up and take on family responsibilities. Although young and distraught I the future to look forward to. But coming to terms with the loss of a husband, partner or friend at a later stage of life can create added problems to the grief already being experienced. There may be a very real fear of a future lived alone, and the possibility of having to cope with disability or ill health. This worry may be may be compounded by the fact that supportive family and friends live a long distance away.

“I expect to pass through this world but once,

Any good thing, therefore, that I can do,

Or any kindness that I can show to any fellow – creature

Let me do it now;

Let me not defer or neglect it,

For I shall not pass this way again.”

When I observe my women friends I can usually tell those who have survived and thrived many years of physical and sexual togetherness with a loving partner. Such women positively bloom with happiness and invariably look years younger than they are. It would appear that regular sex does make complexions glow, and enjoying a loving sexual relationship gives a woman an air of confidence in the knowledge that she is still physical attractive and desired by her man. This feeling can motivate many women into leading a healthy active life and encourage her to maintain her health and looks. She aims to continue enjoying good sex with her regular partner to their mutual benefit, and for as long as possible.

Calcium is essential for the development and maintenance of strong teeth and bones and is of particular importance in our diet, as we grow older. 99% of the calcium in our bodies is found in our skeleton, our bone nails and teeth. But calcium also has a role to play in the nervous system and is essential for the clotting of blood. A regular intake of calcium throughout our lifetime will help prevent the fragile bone disease osteoporosis, which affects so many people over the age of 60. Calcium with vitamin D is essential to build and maintain strong bones as we age; a tablet combing the two is available from chemists and health food shops.

I consider myself fortunate to have a close loving family, the strong bond between us having been strengthened through my experience with breast cancer in 1988, but I’m conscious that not everyone is as lucky as me. Even though we are a close family we still have our share of worries and heartaches as do most families, which surround, births, marriages, illness and deaths. And sadly we haven’t escaped the miseries that divorce brings with it. I have been divorced twice, and one of my sons has also experienced the trauma that accompanies a marriage break up. As a united family we are all involved in helping one another come to terms with the problems arising from these situat