Sign-In
Cart
The Battle Left Behind: A Veteran Widow's Story of Loss, Love and the Long Journey to Healing
Paperback
Death & DyingGeneral ParentingMental Health
Publisher Price: $19.99
ISBN13: 9781958472552
Publisher: Soul Speak Press
Published: Sep 29 2026
Pages: 202
Weight: 0.61
Height: 0.46 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
When Anita Sullivan receives a phone call on an ordinary February day, her world shatters. Her estranged husband, Michael-a Navy veteran, devoted father, beloved coach, and man who had battled chronic illness and depression for years-is gone. In an instant, Anita must face the unimaginable task of telling their three children that their father has died, while carrying the weight of grief, guilt, unanswered questions, and the overwhelming responsibility of helping her family survive the aftermath.
In The Battle Left Behind, Anita shares an unflinchingly honest memoir of love, loss, resilience, and healing. Moving between the heartbreaking day that changed everything and the two decades that preceded it, she recounts a marriage shaped by deep devotion, military life, chronic illness, caregiving, faith, and the invisible wounds of mental health struggles. As she pieces together the fragments of Michael's life and confronts the realities of his decline, Anita wrestles with a question familiar to so many survivors: Could she have done more?
Yet this is not only a story of tragedy. It is a story of what comes after. Through the support of family, friends, fellow survivors, and organizations serving military families, Anita and her children begin the long journey toward hope. Along the way, she discovers purpose in advocacy, finds healing in community, and learns that love can endure even after devastating loss.
Raw, compassionate, and deeply inspiring, The Battle Left Behind offers comfort to anyone who has experienced grief, loved someone struggling with mental illness, or wondered how to move forward after life's darkest moments. It is a powerful reminder that while loss changes us forever, healing is possible-and love lives on.
Also from
Sullivan, Anita
Book Of The Dead: A Horror Anthology by New and Established Writers
Sullivan, Anita
Henderson, Jan Andrew
Macpahail, Catherine
Paperback
Also in
Death & Dying
On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nursers, Clergy, and Their Own Families
Kbler-Ross, Elisabeth
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth
Paperback
Before All Is Said and Done: Practical Advice on Living and Dying Well
Watson, Suzanne
Miles, Pat
Hardcover
Healing from Great Loss: Facing Pain and Grief to Recover Your Authentic Self
Clark, Ann J.
Paperback
When God Doesn't Fix It: Lessons You Never Wanted to Learn, Truths You Can't Live Without
Story, Laura
Paperback
All My Dead Cats and Other Losses: Practicing Good Grief in a Culture That Fears Mourning
Smith, S. E.
Paperback
The Orphaned Adult: Understanding and Coping with Grief and Change After the Death of Our Parents
Levy, Alexander
Paperback
It's Ok That You're Not Ok: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
Devine, Megan
Paperback
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter
Magnusson, Margareta
Hardcover
Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die (New York Times Bestseller)
Condo, Messie
Hardcover
The Grief Recovery Handbook, 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition: The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce, and Other Losses
James, John W.
Friedman, Russell
Paperback
How Will I Ever Get Through This?: Evidence-Based Tools to Help You Heal from Hardship, Grief, and Loss
Hone, Lucy
Paperback
When the Ache Remains: Lessons on Tending to the Unfixable and Finding Beauty Anyway
Olivera, Lisa
Hardcover
In the Absence of the Ordinary: Soul Work for Times of Uncertainty--Essays on Grief, Change, and Sacred Transitions
Weller, Francis
Paperback
Graceful Warrior: The True Story of a Son, a Father, and a Family Who Carried Each Other Through
Sinise, Gary
Hardcover
Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief Workbook: Tools for Releasing Pain and Remembering with Love
Kessler, David
Paperback
My Parents Are Dead: What Now?: A Panic-Free Guide to the Practicalities of Death
Robison, Becky
Paperback
The Greatest Love: Lessons for Living with Extraordinary Courage--Even After the Worst Day of Your Life
Brown, Tim
Hardcover
Welcome to the Afterlife: A No-Nonsense Tour for Those in Mourning or the Merely Curious with Denise, Heaven's Receptionist
Smith, Taryn Delanie
Hardcover
The Families: 9/11 Anthology of Love, Loss and Lessons of Resilience
The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund
Paperback
Tiny Beautiful Things (10th Anniversary Edition): Reese's Book Club: Advice from Dear Sugar
Strayed, Cheryl
Paperback
Through a Season of Grief: 365 Devotions for Your Journey from Mourning to Joy
Dunn, Bill
Leonard, Kathy
Paperback
The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss
O'Connor, Mary-Frances
Paperback
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming Experiences
Levine, Peter A.
Paperback
Liliana's Invincible Summer (Pulitzer Prize Winner): A Sister's Search for Justice
Rivera Garza, Cristina
Paperback
The Aubreigh Wyatt Story: A mother's fight for justice, love, and lasting change
Wyatt, Heather
Paperback
The Other Side of the Straitjacket: A Daughter's Story of Mental Illness and Assisted Dying
Duncan, Alicia
Paperback
From Here to the Great Unknown: Oprah's Book Club: A Memoir
Keough, Riley
Presley, Lisa Marie
Paperback
Twilight of Camelot: The Short Life and Long Legacy of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy
Levingston, Steven
Hardcover
Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula and the Art of a Peaceful End
Walker, Darnell Lamont
Paperback
The VSED Handbook: A Practical Guide to Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking
Christie, Kate
Paperback
On Death & Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy & Their Own Families
Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth
Paperback
The Secret Life of a Cemetery: The Wild Nature and Enchanting Lore of Père-Lachaise
Gallot, Benoît
Paperback
Navigating Grief Workbook: Evidence-Based Exercises to Move Through Grief and Heal
Darbonne, Anna, PsyD
Paperback
Reimagining Grief: A New Path to Finding Healing, Strength, and Joy After Loss
Doerge, Kate
Bliss, Sara
Hardcover
Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart
Wolfelt, Alan
Paperback
The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us about Living Fully
Ostaseski, Frank
Paperback
Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real about the End /]Calua Arthur
Arthur, Alua
Paperback
La Niña a la Que Se Le Vino El Mundo Encima / The Girl Whose World Came Crashing Down
Pérez Islas, Gaby
Paperback
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller: 30th Anniversary Edition
Rinpoche, Sogyal
Paperback
All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work
Campbell, Hayley
Paperback
Las Bendiciones del Quebrantamiento: Por Qué Dios Permite Que Atravesemos Tiempos Difíciles
Stanley, Charles F.
Paperback
Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin
Rosenbloom, Megan
Paperback
Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying
Callanan, Maggie
Kelley, Patricia
Paperback
Final Exit (Third Edition): The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying
Humphry, Derek
Paperback
On Grief & Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss
Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth
Kessler, David
Paperback
The Understanding Your Grief Journal: Exploring the Ten Essential Touchstones
Wolfelt, Alan
Paperback
Cómo Curar Un Corazón Roto. Edición 10 Aniversario Tapa Dura / How to Heal a Broken Heart. 10th Anniversary Edition
Pérez Islas, Gaby
Hardcover
Now That She's Gone: A Daughter's Reflections on Loss, Love, and a Mother's Legacy
Ohlemiller, Chelsea
Paperback
Comfort for the Grieving Spouse's Heart: Hope and Healing After Losing Your Partner
Roe, Gary Gary
Paperback
The Good Death: A Guide for Supporting Your Loved One Through the End of Life
O'Brien, Suzanne B.
Hardcover
The Wound Makes the Medicine: Elemental Remediations for Transforming Heartache
Lighthorse, Pixie
Paperback
Death Does Not Exist: What Science and Spirituality Can Teach Us about the Afterlife
Allix, Stéphane
Hardcover
Celebration of Life - Family & Friends Keepsake Guest Book to Sign In with Memories & Comments: Family & Friends Keepsake Guest Book to Sign In with M
Funeral Guest Books, Briar Rose
Hardcover
No Ordinary Bird: Drug Smuggling, a Plane Crash, and a Daughter's Quest for the Truth
Henderson, Artis
Hardcover
Now Departing: A Small-Town Mortician on Death, Life, and the Moments in Between
Sweeney, Victor M.
Hardcover
In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife
Junger, Sebastian
Hardcover
Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children (Gift Edition)
Stickney, Doris
Hardcover
Own Your Resilience: An Army Leader and War Widow Shares Tools to Live with Courage and Joy
Ballou, Jennifer
Sileo, Tom
Hardcover
52-Week Devotional Journal for Grief: Prompts and Prayers for Navigating Loss
Bronstad, Debbra Sell, Lmft
Paperback
What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen
Fagan, Kate
Paperback
Do More: How to Fully Love and Celebrate Your Special People While They Are Still Here
Capurro, Brad
Hardcover
The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing
O'Connor, Mary-Frances
Hardcover
This Is Body Grief: Making Peace with the Loss That Comes with Living in a Body
Mattingly, Jayne
Hardcover