Tag: serious illness

EOLPodcast

Ep. 525 Writing as a Lifeline Through Loss and Grief with Christina Holbrook and Jane Flynn

kwyattmd

Learn about a beautiful memoir co-written by friends whose correspondence helped them both navigate a year of overwhelming loss and grief.

My guests today are Christina Holbrook and Jane Flynn, co-authors of a shared memoir from a year when they were both confronting loss and grief–the diagnosis a glioblastoma brain tumor and the death of a child by suicide. Through a series of emails the two long-term friends shared not only their grief but also the little moments of life’s wonder and joy. They discuss their newly released book Antiphon: A Call and Response in a Year of Grief and Renewal and how writing together helped them navigate overwhelming grief while offering support to one another. Learn more at the website:

jane-flynn.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • The long trajectory of friendship between Chris and Jane
  • Their personal grief that led to a year of email correspondence
  • Why they decided to share their writings in Antiphon
  • The waterfall metaphor for grief and how it applies to each of their stories
  • How writing helps us express complex and painful emotions
  • Why sharing our pain lightens the burden for both parties
  • How writing about the ordinary events of a day helps us stay in the present moment
  • The little joys that are present even within deep grief

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal, especially Austyn Wells! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 506 Pediatric Palliative Care and the Remarkable Children it Serves with Bob Macauley MD

kwyattmd

Learn about the specialty of pediatric palliative care and how one doctor has benefitted from his relationship with his seriously ill patients.

My guest Dr. Bob Macauley is one of only a few hundred pediatricians in the U.S. specializing in palliative care for children with life-threatening illness. Uniquely Dr. Macauley attended both divinity school and medical school at the same time, which gives him a spiritual perspective on palliative care as well. He is the author of the recently published book Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul. Learn more at his website:

robertmacauley.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What makes pediatric palliative care different from adult care
  • How children understand and cope with their own mortality
  • How his training as both a doctor and an Episcopal priest intersect in his approach to care
  • Some of the remarkable stories of children he has encountered
  • The challenges and rewards of supporting families during the most vulnerable times
  • Why the presence of joy and sorrow often coexist in children’s experiences
  • The spiritual and emotional lessons Dr. Macauley has learned from his work

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and thank you to Yoshimi Kanagawa for buying me 5 coffees and to Kathleen Cheetham who made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 470 Transforming the Illness Experience with Hsien Seow PhD and Sammy Winemaker MD

kwyattmd

Learn how a palliative clinician and a researcher are helping to create a social movement for improving the patient and family experience of serious illness.

This week I’m welcoming Drs. Sammy Winemaker and Hsien Seow, creators of The Waiting Room Revolution and authors of the book Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest. Sammy is a palliative care physician and an associate clinical professor at McMaster University. Hsien is a professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University who publishes health care research focused on improving the patient and family experience for those facing serious illness. Together they co-host The Waiting Room Revolution Podcast to help patients and family members feel hopeful and prepared when facing serious illness. Their book Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest is the featured book for the month of September 2024 in A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group. Learn more about their work and download the discussion guide for the book at the links below:

waitingroomrevolution.com

Get the book here

Discussion Guide

YouTube Channel

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This episode includes:

  • Why Sammy and Hsien decided to write the book
  • The 7 keys they focus on for navigating serious illness
  • Why patients and their families benefit from “walking the two roads” of hope and preparation
  • How the medical system currently fails to support patients in preparing for the possibility that treatment may not have the desired outcome
  • How our hopes and plans evolve as our illness journey changes
  • A palliative approach to patients and illness helps clinicians in all specialties avoid burnout
  • How seeing the “big picture” journey of an illness can help with decision-making
  • Why caregivers also need preparation at the beginning of an illness journey

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporters Jenny Gedda, Carolynn Rafa Todd, and Karen Sueanna! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 398 Spiritual and Emotional Healing of Serious Illness with Lesley Wirth

kwyattmd

Learn about the importance of healing the emotions and the soul along with the body during serious illness.

My guest Lesley Wirth is a poet and writer who has a Masters Degree in Spiritual Psychology. She helps women experiencing a “dark night of the soul” by helping them deal with fear and spiritual and emotional pain, including after being diagnosed with serious illness. Lesley is the creator of the programs Poetry for Healing and The Power of Your Intuition. She discusses her work using poetry in workshops and also teaching how to access intuition. Learn more about her work at her website:

www.lesleywirth.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • Lesley’s story of a “dark night of the soul”
  • How a diagnosis of serious illness can lead to an over-focus on the physical aspects of illness while leaving out the emotional and spiritual
  • Why healing requires more than just a physical approach
  • How to deal with fear and anxiety during difficult times
  • Why “positive psychology” may bypass the areas where deep healing is actually needed
  • How poetry can help with healing
  • Why medical providers could benefit from approaching illness as more than just a physical problem

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Robin Bissell for your donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference.