Renata Scofield on Cancer, Sudden Loss and Raising Two Young Daughters Alone

For ten years, Renata Scofield and her husband Colin packed a lot of living into a short time. They met online despite living a block apart, married quickly, moved countries, built careers, welcomed two daughters and created a life together in Edinburgh.

Then, in April 2023, Colin was diagnosed with kidney cancer that had already spread to his lungs.

The treatment appeared to be working. Five days before he died, doctors told them the immunotherapy was shrinking lesions and things were looking positive. But what nobody realised was that the cancer had spread to his brain. A sudden stroke changed everything.

In this episode, Renata shares the devastating reality of becoming widowed while raising two young girls aged just three and six, with no family nearby and no time to prepare. She talks about doing school drop-offs and pick-ups while her husband lay in hospital, making the decision to switch off life support, and the practical chaos that follows when the person holding your family together is suddenly gone.

We also talk about Colin himself: a fourth-degree black belt in jiu-jitsu, a devoted hands-on dad, and the calm, steady presence who made everything feel possible.

Along the way we discuss children’s grief, the importance of community, returning to work after loss, and why preparation is one of the greatest gifts we can leave the people we love, from wills and insurance to the passwords we never think to share.

A conversation about love, resilience, solo parenting, and finding a way forward when life changes in an instant.