James turned 21. He spent the day on the golf course with his mates. That night he was downstairs drinking champagne while, upstairs, his dad Willie was dying.

At 10pm, on his birthday, it was over.

That was the day James became a man who'd lost his father. The same date he's been asked to celebrate every year since.

James joins Roger and Scott to talk about bowel cancer, the diagnosis, the final days, and what 25 years of grief actually looks like when the loss is tied to a date you can never avoid.

This one's for the guy whose grief still shows up on a certain day every year. The guy who lost his dad before he'd figured out who he was. The guy whose birthday quietly became an anniversary.

In this episode:

• Losing his dad Willie at 10pm on his 21st birthday

• What grief looks like 25 years later

• The day the bowel cancer diagnosis arrived

• Fighting, coping, and the final days

• "Death math" and the arithmetic of anniversaries

• Health checks, colonoscopies, and becoming a father yourself

• Building an adult life without a dad's advice

• Keeping grandpa alive for children who never met him

• The hug he gives his kids now, the one Willie gave him

• What he'd say if he got one more conversation

About James and Willie

James Wood Robertson lost his dad Willie to bowel cancer 25 years ago, at 10pm on his own 21st birthday. Since then, he's learned how to carry a loss that never leaves the calendar, how to become a father without a blueprint, and how to keep a grandfather alive through stories.

It's a conversation about father loss, cancer, memory, fatherhood, and the small inheritances that outlast the people who gave them.

And yes, there are laughs. Because grief is weird like that.

⏱️ Episode chapters

00:00 Why James Is Here

01:05 Support The Podcast

02:31 Meet James Wood Robertson

04:23 Grief 25 Years Later

07:31 Who Willie Was

08:26 The Cancer Diagnosis Day

11:37 Fighting And Coping

12:46 His Final Days And Passing

15:37 Anniversaries And Death Math

16:56 Health Checks And Fatherhood

19:23 Life Without A Dad's Advice

23:01 Keeping Grandpa Alive

26:23 Hugs And Lasting Love

27:10 If He Could Talk Again

29:24 Final Advice And Goodbye

About Dead Dads

Dead Dads is a podcast for men figuring out life after losing their dad. Hosted by Roger Nairn and Scott Cunningham, the show features honest conversations about grief, identity, family, memory, masculinity, and all the strange things that happen after your father dies.

No grief brochure voice. No tidy healing arc. Just real conversations.

You're not alone.

☕ If The Dead Dads Podcast has helped you feel a little less alone, consider buying us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/deaddadspodcast

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Dead Dads Podcast is produced with the support of JAR Podcast Solutions, the branded podcast agency that helps organizations build shows people actually want to spend time with. Learn more at https://jarpodcasts.com/