Justin and Allison talk about how it feels when caregivers are told to find meaning in their hardships and to celebrate and seek well-being through their roles. Spoiler Alert: It doesn't feel good. They discuss what does feel supportive and what kind of spaces they would like to see more of in the caregiving community.

Allison and Justin discuss how, on top of their caregiving responsibilities, they are weighed down with outside pressures, such as feeling the need to advocate on behalf of their spouses' diseases, the constant reminders to take care of themselves, and the new pressures and questions surrounding protocols now that things are starting to open up. They discuss the impact these pressures have on them, what they do to release some of that pressure, and what others can do to help.

Justin and Allison process together how life is changing now that they and their spouses are fully vaccinated. They discuss how and if their caregiving roles will be different as the world opens up as well as what they hope people remember from this time.

Justin and Allison both married their spouses years before either of them became ill, but have now spent more years of their marriages as caregivers than not. In this episode, they talk about how married life, roles, and relationships have changed in the time since the diagnoses, as well as what it feels like looking towards the futures that are not what they imagined on their wedding days.

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Terrible, Thanks for Asking - Fairplay at Home

After attending a summit on caregiving, Allison shares what she learned about potential policy changes that may support caregivers. She and Justin talk about what they would wish for in terms of systemic change and what it feels like to have this role seen and recognized by people in positions of power. Also, Justin joins the Pandemic Puppy Club!

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Care Can't Wait Summit

Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America

Caregiver Gift Boxes

Justin and Allison talk openly about the state of their mental health before becoming caregivers and the ways this role has impacted their anxiety and depression. Justin also shares how a new medication is impacting his wife's overall well-being.

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If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, information and resources are available from the National Alliance on Mental Health by calling 1-800-950-6264 or visiting nami.org/help

After multiple treatments were unsuccessful, Justin and his wife had settled into the reality of life with her chronic illness. At a recent appointment, their doctor mentioned a promising new study in which some Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) patients saw improvements when adding a new medication. Listen in as Justin shares what it feels like to have a glimmer of hope and as he and Allison talk about the experiences they have had over the years of having, losing, and being devastated by hope.

Links:

The Puzzle Solver: A Scientist's Desperate Quest to Cure the Illness That Stole His Son

How to be Sick

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

Allison found out about her husband's most recent cancer diagnosis when an alert popped up in his MyChart account announcing a new Test Result. Listen in as she describes to Justin what the moments and days after opening that message have been like as her family sits with a diagnosis but not yet a plan.

Coming off of three weeks of being sick, Allison talks with Justin about what it's been like to be under the weather while caregiving. The two of them talk about what drives them to do all that they do and discuss how challenging it is when they are out of commission.

In this episode, Justin and Allison talk about how Covid being a worldwide phenomenon provides an opportunity for all of us to talk about and work through our grief around it more easily, using our common language and experiences. They dig into how these moments can be used as a practice ground for having conversations about and processing hard things, as well as making room and time to celebrate amidst it all.