Alana and Darah sit down with their cousin Pastor Melanie Davis to discuss her lifelong caregiving journey, from caring for their grandmother as a teenager to walking three family members through genetic ALS, including her own mother.

Melanie shares the emotional reality of fatal diagnoses, the battle between faith and fear, and why she considers eulogizing both her parents within three months of each other the greatest honor of her life. A powerful conversation about finding God in grief and the sacred work of being present for those we love.

This is part 1 of 2

Trigger Warning: Terminal illness, death, and grief.

In this raw and emotional episode, Darah and Alana share the painful reality of watching their father Lloyd transform from a fun-loving, hug-giving dad into someone they barely recognize. They discuss the anxiety, guilt, and grief of caregiving when dementia changes everything from inappropriate behaviors to forgotten graduations. This episode covers the complicated feelings of visiting a parent who sometimes calls you the wrong name, the financial strain of caregiving, and why they still try to create joyful moments despite it all.

A necessary conversation for anyone caring for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia tissue warning advised.

Topics: Alzheimer's caregiving, dementia, parental care, caregiver guilt, behavioral changes, memory care facilities

Part

Episode 1: Where's the Adult? - Our Origin Story

When do you stop being the kid and become the grownup? For sisters Darah and Alayna, that moment came fast and hard in 2016 grandma's brain bleed, MS diagnosis, parents spiraling, and a whole lot of "wait, we're in charge now?"

This is the story of two Pittsburgh sisters navigating caregiving, chronic illness, and grief while barely keeping their own heads above water. It's messy. It's real. And if you've ever looked around during a crisis thinking "where's the adult?" only to realize it's you this one's for you.

Explicit for mature themes and occasional profanity