From Pain to Purpose

My name is Christine Mauia. Before any of this work, before the programs, the support, and the spaces I now hold, I was a wife. I was married to the love of my life for 30 years. We grew up together, built a life together, and learned life side by side. We weren’t perfect, but what we had was our kind of perfect. Together, we raised three beautiful children, and today I am a grandmother to three. Still, there is a quiet ache I carry, wishing he were here to meet them. In 2014, everything changed when my husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer. For five years, we fought together. Cancer has a way of turning your world upside down, testing your strength, your faith, and everything you thought you knew about life. In 2018, we lost him. And in that moment, I wasn’t just grieving my husband, I was grieving the life we built, the future we had planned, and the woman I was when he was here.

After his passing, I was faced with a choice: I could suffer in silence, or I could use my pain as purpose. I chose purpose. Through my work and my partnership with his nonprofit (All My Usos), I began showing up for others the way I wish someone had shown up for me, supporting families, widows, and those navigating grief and hardship, because no one should have to walk through those moments alone. This journey led me to create After Him, Still Me, a reflection of my own healing and a space for other widows who feel lost, overwhelmed, or unsure of who they are now. What I’ve learned is that grief doesn’t go away and you don’t simply move on, you learn how to carry it while still choosing to live. If there is one thing I want you to know, it’s this: you are still here, there is still a version of you worth finding, and you don’t have to do it alone.