A Canadian woman has become an inspiration on TikTok after documenting her solo honeymoon following the sudden death of her fiancé a month before their wedding.
Laura Murphy’s life was shattered when her partner Devon O’Grady, 31, passed away in May after a cardiac event.
She immediately received support from her friends and family, but felt isolated in her grief.
Fed up with being at home and “feeling guilty” for not living her life, she decided to continue with the honeymoon they had planned in England, “to see if life is still worth living.”
What started as a way to process her grief and encourage her to get out there each day became an overnight sensation as other widows and people affected by her situation started tuning in.
Laura Murphy has become an internet star after documenting her solo honeymoon following the sudden death of her fiancé Devon O’Grady a month before their wedding.
“I felt very alone and isolated because I didn’t know anyone my age who had lost a partner,” she told the Washington Post. “I needed to find people who could relate to me because I wanted to know how to move forward.”
‘I also felt like I needed to get away from my hometown and our house. I sat there for months not knowing what to do.
His account is filled with scenes from his travels in London and, more recently, France.
But in between the solo dinners and solo concerts, Murphy includes moments of his raw, unfiltered grief, admitting there are times when he has to crawl into bed or just needs a “good cry.”
Her decision to document her experiences has come as a surprise to those who know her, but especially to Murphy, who describes herself as a “private” person.
“It’s very unusual for me to travel alone, and it’s even more unusual to document it for the world,” she said.
Before her death, she and O’Grady lived a full life together in Newfoundland with their Bernedoodles Leni and Chewy.
The couple met at work after Murphy, a lawyer, interviewed for a position but got stuck on the staircase on her way to meet her boss.
Murphy’s fiancé died after a heart attack in May.
O’Grady came to her aid after hearing knocking on the other side of a door and the two struck up a friendship that blossomed into romance.
She died in May in the office across from Murphy’s, a fact that still haunts her.
In a video, Murphy describes how the sound of an ambulance siren “triggered” him.
Her decision to travel was born out of a belief that her fiancé would want her to go and enjoy life, even if all she wants is to be with him, she explains in a clip.
Murphy was motivated to travel after meeting other young widows in similar circumstances who had done the same and who “inspired” her.
But it hasn’t been without its challenges. In a TikTok, Murphy explains how she reunited with her best friend and maid of honor and her fiancé in Nice, France, shortly after she and O’Grady left with the couple.
“The parallels between that trip and this one weren’t lost on me, so it was very difficult,” Murphy admitted.
But since posting her experience, Murphy has found a huge online community supporting her on her journey.
“I’ve been really overwhelmed with all the love and I wish I could respond to you all and hang out with you all,” she tearfully said in a TikTok discussing her newfound fame.
‘I remember telling my dad, “I need you to find me someone who’s been through this,” because I needed proof that it was possible to survive.’