How A Widow Found Healing on the Camino
When the love of your life is gone, where do you go to heal?
For Di De Los Santos, a former broadcaster, wife, and woman whose heart was shattered by the loss of her beloved husband Roy, the answer came in the form of a 72-mile spiritual pilgrimage across northern Spain: The Camino de Santiago Compostela.
However, this wasn’t just a hike. This was a reckoning. A rebuilding. A resurrection.
A Love That Lit the World
Di and Roy Galvan were married on live television at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, 2000. Their life together was full of joy, adventure, laughter, and an unbreakable bond. From the newsroom to exotic corners of the world, they shared a kind of love people spend lifetimes searching for.
Then, in 2022, came the diagnosis: Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with no cure. Ten months later, Roy passed away. The world didn’t just feel empty for Di, it felt unlivable.
What followed was a tidal wave of sorrow, a grief so deep it echoed through every quiet room, every holiday, every morning that Roy wasn’t there to say “I love you.”
The Whisper of a Trail
Grief has a way of either paralyzing or propelling you. For Di, it did both.
She had to leave—not to escape Roy’s memory, but to walk with it. She remembered the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage that had been undertaken for centuries by seekers, wanderers, and the broken-hearted. Something in her soul said Go.
Despite not being in the best of shape and unsure if she could physically complete the journey, Di began training energetically. She shed 60 pounds, gained muscle, and started reclaiming parts of herself that had gone quiet during her grief. Her mantra: Honor Roy. Keep walking.
From Grief to Grit: Step-by-Step
The Camino is not glamorous. It’s rugged, unforgiving, and unpredictable. Di began her walk in Sarria, Spain, armed with trekking poles she named “Dallas” and “Cowboy”—a tribute to Roy’s beloved Dallas Cowboys. Every blister, every incline, every sore muscle carried the weight of memories, love, and pain.
But the Camino gives as much as it takes.
She met fellow pilgrims—peregrinos—each on their own journey. One was a widow from Wales named Melanie, who appeared like an angel on a rocky climb and became an inspiration. Another was Luis, their Camino guide, whose kindness and musical spirit (yes, he played the bagpipes on the trail) reminded Di that light still exists in unexpected places.
It was on the trail, among strangers and silence, that her broken heart began to mend.
Altars, Ashes, and Acts of Love
To honor Roy, Di carried waterproof photos of him and placed them at church altars throughout the pilgrimage. In every sacred space, she left behind a piece of her heart—not to forget him, but to share him. The Camino became a tapestry of love letters and whispered prayers, where grief found form and purpose.
She carried a small angel charm and a medal of St. Anthony (a gift from friends) in her pocket every day. She talked to Roy in her dreams, in the wind, in the hush of the trail. The spiritual connection was real, tangible, and deeply healing.
A Community That Carried Her
What Di learned on the Camino wasn’t just about personal endurance—it was about the quiet power of community.
She was not alone. Not in her grief. Not in her healing. From warm café owners in small Spanish towns to fellow hikers who shared snacks, songs, and stories, the Camino wrapped Di in a blanket of shared humanity.
Even the torrential rain and stormy weather toward the final days didn’t shake her. In fact, they baptized her—cleansing, soaking, and pushing her to the finish line.
Transformation Beyond the Trail
When Di completed the Camino, she wasn’t the same woman who started it. She was lighter—not just physically, but spiritually. Her grief had shape. Her story had meaning. And her heart, though still missing Roy, had begun to beat with new purpose.
She didn’t stop there. She went on to run a half-marathon. She returned to writing. She opened herself to the idea of joy again.
Moreover, she wrote a book: Camino de Mi Corazón—“The Path of My Heart.” A memoir that isn’t just about a pilgrimage, but about walking through the ashes of life and choosing to rise anyway.
Why Her Story Matters
Di De Los Santos’ story matters because grief is everywhere. Someone reading this right now is going through what she did—feeling the weight of a love lost and wondering if they’ll ever feel complete again.
Her journey is proof that you don’t have to heal all at once. You have to keep walking.
One-step.
One sunrise at a time.
The Camino is Calling
Whether you’re grieving a person, a version of yourself, or a life you once knew, the path to healing is out there. Maybe it’s not in Spain. Maybe it’s in a conversation. A community. A quiet moment in nature.
However, Di’s story is a powerful reminder: you can carry love and loss together. In addition, in doing so, you can find yourself again.
Want more of Di’s journey?
Read her memoir Camino de Mi Corazón and follow her on social media to connect with a growing community of hearts walking their own Camino.
