For Reverend Isaac Cudjoe, losing his first wife was not simply the loss of a spouse. It was the sudden disappearance of the person around whom much of his life had been built.
His journey through grief, depression, separation from his children and, eventually, finding love again formed the heart of an emotional conversation on The Couple Next Door, Sunny 88.7 FM's special marriage series on the Inspirational Morning Drive (IMDrive).
Appearing alongside his wife, Ruth Cudjoe, Reverend Isaac opened up about one of the darkest periods of his life and how faith, professional psychological support, community and a second chance at marriage helped him rebuild.
"She Was My Person"
Before his first wife, Susan, passed away, Reverend Isaac described their relationship as exceptionally close.
The two were not only husband and wife but friends, ministry partners and business partners.
"She was my person," he recalled.
According to him, their lives were so intertwined that friends rarely saw one without expecting the other to be nearby. He had even stepped away from corporate life partly so the couple could concentrate on their business and ministry together.
Then everything changed.
Following Susan's death, Reverend Isaac said he found himself dealing not only with grief but also a painful dispute involving his late wife's family.
He told Sunny FM that his two sons were taken to his in-laws on the day their mother died and that he subsequently went about two years without seeing them.
The matter eventually went before the courts, he said, and it took the intervention of a judge before he was reunited with his children.
"That's the first time I saw my children in two years," he recalled.
The combined effect of losing his wife and being separated from his children pushed him into an extremely difficult period emotionally and physically.
A Battle With Grief and Depression
Reverend Isaac said there were periods when he could barely sleep and frequently ended up at hospital.
He recalled repeatedly visiting Sakumono Hospital because he would pass out or feel physically unwell, yet doctors struggled to identify a physical illness responsible for what he was experiencing.
Eventually, an older doctor asked him to tell his story.
After listening, the doctor gave him an explanation that would change how he understood his condition.
"You are not sick, you are depressed," Reverend Isaac recalled being told.
He was subsequently referred to a clinical psychologist.
For a pastor accustomed to viewing life's battles through a spiritual lens, accepting psychological help was initially difficult. But both Isaac and Ruth now believe professional mental health care played an important role in his recovery.
Ruth said Christians should not see seeking psychological help as being opposed to faith.
"If you're a believer and you're dealing with something, you attack it from all angles," she said.
She explained that spiritual support and professional psychological care can work alongside each other, particularly when someone is experiencing severe grief or emotional distress.
Reverend Isaac also credited friends, church members and other people who surrounded him during the period.
"We can say people are bad, but people are also very good," he said. "Because in this life, if you don't have people, you're done."
Opening His Heart to Marriage Again
After such a painful experience, remaining single might have appeared the obvious choice.
Reverend Isaac, however, said loneliness and the emotional state in which he found himself forced him to confront what his future would look like.
Friends suggested that he relocate abroad and begin again, but leaving Ghana while separated from his children was not an option he could easily accept.
Eventually, he became convinced that marriage could become part of his journey towards rebuilding his life.
About a year and eight months after the death of his first wife, he married Ruth.
But getting Ruth to agree was another story entirely.
"The Lord Says I Should Marry You"
Ruth had known Reverend Isaac and his family long before she ever imagined becoming his wife.
She first encountered him after a colleague invited her to a church prayer meeting on a Thursday evening.
She was impressed by his preaching and continued attending the church.
At the time, Reverend Isaac was happily married.
Ruth subsequently became close to the family, including his wife Susan and their children.
"I had an amazing relationship with his late wife and the kids," Ruth recalled, explaining that Susan trusted her enough to allow her to assist with the children.
Their families also became close.
Then Susan died.
Ruth grieved alongside the family and supported Reverend Isaac during the difficult period that followed.
So when the grieving widower eventually approached her with an unexpected declaration — that he believed God was leading him to marry her — Ruth's initial response was anything but romantic.
"Can you imagine how confused I would be?" she said.
She described the situation as "really heavy" and "really confusing".
Reverend Isaac jokingly recalled that Ruth effectively "abandoned" him after he raised the possibility of marriage.
Yet what initially appeared impossible eventually developed into a relationship and marriage.
Building a Blended Family
Today, Isaac and Ruth describe theirs as a blended family.
Ruth entered a family that already had children from Isaac's first marriage, and the couple subsequently welcomed children together.
Rather than pretending that building such a family is always straightforward, the couple spoke openly about the adjustments, difficult conversations and deliberate choices required to make their home work.
Ruth is an HR professional who has spent about 15 years with her organisation. Beyond her corporate career, she works alongside her husband in ministry and runs Glue for Change, a non-profit initiative focused on underprivileged children.
Reverend Isaac combines ministry with an extensive corporate career that has taken him through media and major organisations and roles across several African countries.
Together, they lead Mountain of Grace and Deliverance Ministries, with a family-focused ministry stream called Marriage on a Mission, dedicated to promoting healthy Christian relationships and family life.
A Story About More Than Marriage
Their appearance on The Couple Next Door ultimately became about much more than how two people met and married.
It became a conversation about grief, mental health, remarriage, faith, family conflict and the importance of community when life takes an unexpected turn.
Reverend Isaac's experience also carried a message for people who may appear physically unwell while silently carrying deep emotional pain.
His journey required prayer and spiritual support, but it also required doctors, a clinical psychologist, friends and a community willing to stay close when he was struggling.
For Ruth, that combination remains important.
And for Reverend Isaac, the family he has today represents something he once struggled to imagine during his darkest days: the possibility that after devastating loss, life can still begin again.
The Couple Next Door airs as part of Sunny 88.7 FM's August marriage series, Love Unscripted, featuring real conversations about the beautiful, challenging and sometimes messy realities of marriage.
Listeners can follow the conversations on Sunny 88.7 FM and watch on Sunny TV through the Sunny TV app and SunnyGH.com.