This week on The Sharon Fitzmaurice Podcast, I had the honour of speaking with Jade Horton, a woman whose story touched me in ways I’m still processing. On the 10th of December 2020, Jade experienced the kind of tragedy no parent could ever imagine -losing both of her precious children, Sienna (7) and Isaac (3), in a devastating house fire.
In an attempt to escape the flames, Jade jumped thirty feet from the burning building. Her injuries were life-threatening. She was told she would never walk again. She spent four long weeks in intensive care, underwent several operations, and faced a mountain of physical pain -but even greater was the pain in her heart.
Yet somehow, in the depths of that pain, something stirred within her. A quiet, unwavering strength. A love so powerful that it refused to give in. Jade chose to honour her children by choosing life. Through holistic healing, sheer determination, and an unshakable bond with her little ones in spirit, Jade took her first steps just twelve weeks later.
Everything she has done since that day -every breath, every step -has been for them. And now, through her healing and her work, she walks alongside other parents who are trying to survive the impossible.
After our conversation, I found myself sitting in stillness, my heart wide open. I kept returning to one thought: how do we go on after something so soul-shattering? And deeper still: do we really need to come close to death to fully reconnect with life?
Jade’s story reminded me that sometimes, it is through our most painful experiences that we come to see life differently - not with our eyes, but with our soul. It’s not always about surviving… sometimes it’s about remembering why we want to keep living at all. And when that reason is love - pure, unconditional love, it becomes our guide through the darkest of nights.
I often reflect on the paths we each walk. Some are straight and smooth, while others twist and turn with heartbreak and hope. I know in my own life, it wasn’t one grand act of bravery that kept me going - it was the small, quiet choices. The decision to keep showing up for life, even when I didn’t know what the next day would bring. The choice to meet myself in the moment, without judgement. To simply say: this is who I am today, and that is enough.
We’re all on a journey that takes us in unexpected directions. We set out aiming for one destination, only to discover we’re meant to arrive somewhere entirely different. And yet, that’s where the beauty lies. Not in the outcome, but in the becoming.
Life will always hold moments that take our breath away - some with wonder, some with sorrow. And there are times when we feel we may never breathe again. But eventually, we do. We take that next breath. And with it, we find a strength we didn’t know we had.
We carry on. Sometimes slowly, sometimes shakily. But we move forward - not because it’s easy, but because there is something, or someone, worth living for, may that someone is You. Because in each step, no matter how small, we are reclaiming life. Not as it once was, but as it is now. Raw. Real. Sacred.
And that, to me, is the very essence of healing.
Sharon Fitzmaurice
Author, Holistic Wellness Coach, Podcast Host