How One Woman Navigated The Grief Of Suicide — And What She Hopes It Can Teach Others

There's no official playbook for how to navigate the grief of a loved one taking their own life. It's a journey that Charlotte Maya knows all too well.

In 2007, Maya came home from a hike with her two sons and family dog to find police and a priest in the driveway of her Southern California home. Her husband, Sam, who said he was staying behind to take a nap, had instead killed himself.

His suicide came totally out of the blue to Maya and catapulted her and her sons into the unchartered waters of grief and loss.

This past year, Maya published Sushi Tuesdays: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Resilience. The memoir details her family's experience navigating the aftermath of her husband's death and the stigma of shame that often accompanies a suicide.