The Functioning Griefster
The Functioning Griefster is a podcast about, love, loss and still showing up anyway, with your survival kit on, whilst we bear the unbearable.
Recorded in the back of my son’s van, Dec, who died aged 24 in August 2023, I speak to fellow Griefster, who are, still grieving, still loving and still carrying their loved ones legacy forward.
These stories are real and raw,, no script, just courage, connection and unexpected moment of laughter and light.
Each episode includes a grounding tool to help anyone who is grieving or supporting someone who is.
The Functioning Griefster
Episode 3:Naomi’s Story-He saved lives, while losing his.
He was only 18. It was New Year’s Eve.
While most were celebrating, Naomi got a call from Canada: her son Jay had collapsed and was in intensive care. She rushed home — but what followed was every parent’s nightmare.
Jay had gone into cardiac arrest from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) — the same silent threat that has tragically taken footballers mid-game on live TV. Around 500 people a year in the UK are affected — all without warning .
There was no drink. No drugs. Just a young man who loved space, animals, and pizza — and who’d simply collapsed. But Jay had made one final, selfless choice: he was an organ donor. When his life support was turned off, five lives were saved.
Legacy turned into action: Naomi launched Our Jay’s Foundation, installing defibrillators across the West Midlands — from gyms to police cars — and continues to raise funds so every public space holds a chance of survival.
In this episode of The Functionning Griefster, Naomi shares her grief, her fight against cruel anti-vax conspiracies, and how she carries Jay’s legacy forward — one heartbeat at a time.
