Jun 17, 2026 · 7 min · 6 segments
In this deeply moving episode of The Letterbox Podcast, listener Jazz shares a heartfelt letter to her late brother, Gav, released on the anniversary of his passing. She reflects on the unimaginable…
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Welcome back to the Letterboxd podcast.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
It means so much to me and the writers of our letters.
Today's letter comes from a listener who has chosen to write to someone she loves and misses deeply.
Her brother, Gav.
She's trusted us with her words so they can be shared on the anniversary of his passing.
A date that carries so much weight, remembrance and love.
Jazz speaks so fondly of him and was telling me a little more about what happened to Gav.
He was out in the garden one day making a surprise picnic for his girlfriend when suddenly he collapsed.
At the age of 35, he had suffered a life-changing stroke.
He was in a coma for months and when he finally woke up, he was left with a severe brain injury that meant he was paralysed.
He couldn't speak, eat or drink.
The only thing he could do was Blink.
Des told me that before this, he was the loudest, tallest man in the room.
Quite literally, he was six foot four, popular and the life and soul of the party.
After the stroke, he was a shell of himself.
She said that after three long years, he was finally able to return home to them and died a year later.
By sharing this letter, she's opening a window into that experience, not only to honour Gav's memory, but also in the hope that others walking a similar path might feel a little less alone.
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Welcome back to the Letterboxd podcast.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
It means so much to me and the writers of our letters.
Today's letter comes from a listener who has chosen to write to someone she loves and misses deeply.
Her brother, Gav.
She's trusted us with her words so they can be shared on the anniversary of his passing.
A date that carries so much weight, remembrance and love.
Jazz speaks so fondly of him and was telling me a little more about what happened to Gav.
He was out in the garden one day making a surprise picnic for his girlfriend when suddenly he collapsed.
At the age of 35, he had suffered a life-changing stroke.
He was in a coma for months and when he finally woke up, he was left with a severe brain injury that meant he was paralysed.
He couldn't speak, eat or drink.
The only thing he could do was Blink.
Des told me that before this, he was the loudest, tallest man in the room.
Quite literally, he was six foot four, popular and the life and soul of the party.
After the stroke, he was a shell of himself.
She said that after three long years, he was finally able to return home to them and died a year later.
By sharing this letter, she's opening a window into that experience, not only to honour Gav's memory, but also in the hope that others walking a similar path might feel a little less alone.