Nicole Canamare: Gavin's Story: S2 Ep4

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

Grief can split a life in two—before the call and after. We sit with Nicole Canamare to honor her son Gavin, a brown‑eyed, quick‑witted middle child who traded team sports for skateboards and a boxing ring, journaled dreams into a logo called 7Love, and fought addiction with a courage that never boasted. Nicole takes us from school struggles and ADD labels to the moment a prescription helped, then harmed, and the night a hospital chair turned fear into naming the truth: addiction had taken hold and treatment was urgent.

What follows is the real timeline so many families know but seldom speak aloud—rehab, relapse, resolve, and the decision to work the steps with intention. There’s a rare Labor Day with family photos, amends made in hard conversations, and a workplace that stood by him. Then comes the Friday call and the kind of silence that only shock understands. Community crowds the house and somehow their laughter downstairs becomes a blanket. When sleep won’t come, Psalm 23 does. Anger gives way to a quiet assurance that Gavin’s pain is gone, even as Nicole’s remains.

We talk about the second year’s permanence, the strange twinship of joy and sorrow with new grandchildren, and why saying a child’s name matters. Nicole shares grounded, practical ways forward: return to simple rituals like gardening, seek faith or peer support that can hold heavy truths, and say yes to gentle plans without abandoning your limits. Strength doesn’t mean it feels better; it means you can carry what you couldn’t yesterday.

Gavin’s legacy lives through the 7Love Foundation—his handwritten vision turned into a mission to support families navigating addiction, a space too often left behind. If you’ve ever felt alone facing addiction, relapse, or bereavement, this conversation offers language, companionship, and a path toward purpose. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review with one insight you’re taking into your own life.

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

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Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals.

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With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele