Romance radio host Delilah has been through unimaginable pain in recent years. The 62-year-old is the mother of 14 children, 10 of whom are adopted. In a matter of five years, she lost two of her sons. Her 16-year-old son Sammy died in 2012 as a result of complications from sickle-cell anemia. In 2017, her 18-year-old son Zachariah died by suicide.
That kind of loss is enough to sidetrack anyone's life. In a interview on The Dr. Oz Show that aired in 2019, Delilah details the kind of pain and raw emotion she's gone through with these two tremendous losses. Thankfully, she has the support of her loyal fan base at every turn. She also has her strong belief in her faith as an evangelical Christian, which has helped get her through her darkest days. Now she's sharing her journey to help others struggling with hardship.
If you or any of your loved ones are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can always reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-8255. They are available 24/7 by phone or online chat.
Radio host Delilah has been through incredible loss. Delilah is the mother of 14 children, 10 of whom were adopted. She often talks about her kids on her show. In 2012, she lost one of her sons, 16-year-old Sammy Young Dzolali Rene, due to complications from sickle cell anemia.
"My son Sammy passed from this world today into heaven, but he left behind a piece of his amazing soul in all that met him. As painful as this moment is, I am so so so so so thankful that God allowed me, my family, and friends to experience the essence of his soul for the past two years," Delilah shared on Facebook.
"Everyone who met him was blessed by his big heart, his silly character voices, his wonderful sense of humor and his kindness towards all. He was a precious, precious young man and I praise the Lord that I was allowed to be bathed in Sammy's love as his 'MommaBear' … we have been forever changed by having him in our lives."
Tragedy struck Delilah's family again in 2017. Her 18-year-old son Zachariah died by suicide. She shared the heartbreaking news with fans on Facebook.
"'Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return'," Delilah wrote, sharing a quote by Mary Jean Irion.
"There will not be another 'normal day' with my Zack-Attack, at least not in this lifetime," she continued. "No more cooking his favorite foods or bringing home gallons of his favorite juice, no more laughter around the bonfire or Christmas mornings. My heart is struggling to continue to beat."
Delilah is speaking out about her life following these incredible losses. On an appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, she recalls feeling angry after losing Zach. "I went into a rage when I started doing the research on the medicine I told you that he was given," she revealed.
Delilah has previously explained that Zach was on antidepressants at the time of his suicide. He'd fallen into a deep depression after a series of awful events including a car accident, a breakup, and discovering he wouldn't graduate from high school with his peers. Despite his struggles, he was getting help and seemed to be improving.
She also recalled the moments that led up to his death. "[Zack gave me permission] to call his doctor and I did call — I called twice — and I said, ‘My son’s talking about weird space travel and weird time loop continuums,'" she said. "His doctor never returned my call. He spent Saturday and Sunday at his dad’s house, they had his favorite food, they watched Star Wars."
"Then, Monday night, he came home from his dad’s house. He spent a few hours in the barn with our cats — we had four kittens — [then] came in and ate dinner with our family," she recalled. "[He] went up to his room and played video games, and then at 10:30 he came down."
"I was in Africa and he said to my husband, ‘I’m going to go for a walk.'" Later, Delilah's niece would find that Zach left behind a nine-page suicide note discussing time travel. "He said he had to fix something that was wrong, and that he would wake up the next day in his own bed, and he would probably have to do this a number of times before he got it right."
Delilah went on to explain what happened to get her out of the mindset of anger after Zach's death. "There’s a man named Rory Feek who is a country songwriter who lost his wife to cancer. He called me, and he said, ‘Delilah, your boys are much more a part of your future than they are of your past.'," Delilah explained.
"We share the same faith and I just, I was in this rage, and I said, ‘How can you say that? I don’t get to go to their weddings, I don’t get to see their babies, I don’t get to be a grandma, I don’t get to see them graduate, both of them,'" she continued. Rory met her anger with the lessons they've learned from that shared faith. "And he said, 'Because you know where they are, and you know you’ll be with them in the future.'"
Delilah chooses to remember Zach for the things that he contributed to the family. "He had more energy than all my other kids added up — just larger than life," she recalled. She also remembered the last moments she got to spend with her son.
"Early in the morning, at 4 or 5 o’clock, he would come into my room and lay down on the covers next to me and just be my baby again," she said. "The day before I went to Africa, he did that. That was the last time I held my son."
Delilah has experienced a lot of loss and hardship. Despite everything that she's been through, she hasn't lost hope or her uplifting perspective on life. With faith and family in her heart, she continues to help countless others with kind words and support.
