Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operation Officer of Facebook discussed the loss of her husband publicly for the first time at the University of California, Berkley.
Sandberg, who delivered the commencement speech, told students about the lessons she learned from her husband’s death. The Lean In author lost her husband Dave Goldberg in 2015 while holidaying in Mexico. He died after he fell from a treadmill and sustained head injuries. It was later revealed that he suffered from cardiac arrhythmia which lead to his fall.
Sandberg, in her emotional speech, shared how she blamed herself and pored over her husband’s medical records in an effort to figure out what she could have done to save him. In her speech, she spoke about her struggle with loss, how her husband’s death changed her, and helped her realise the precarious nature of life.
Ask yourself, how you would live if you had 11 days left to live? Live with understanding of how precious every day would be because that’s how precious everyday actually is.Sheryl Sandberg
She concluded her speech by encouraging the graduating class of 2016 to be resilient and grateful in life.
I stand here today a year after the very worst day of my life. The worst day I can imagine, and two things are true. I have a huge reservoir of sadness, it is with me always… where I can touch it. I never knew that I could cry so often or so much but for the first time I am grateful for each breath, in and out. I am grateful for the gift of life itself.
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