After a summer full of surgeries and hospitalizations for her husband, Allison reflects on what it felt like in the days and weeks after those crises as she recovered from all they went through. She and Justin share what those moments can feel like, what they have found to be helpful, and how supporters can help.

In this episode, Allison and Justin speak with Alec Wendelboe, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the MN Brain Injury Alliance and MN Stroke Association about how people living with chronic conditions and those who are caregiving have a higher likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation. They discuss why this is, what that may look and feel like, and where to get support.

Justin and Allison both care not only for their spouses, but also pets in their homes. In this episode, they talk about the process of deciding to add pets to their families and the ups and downs they’ve experienced since, specifically related to their caregiving role.

Jessica Kim was the primary caregiver for her mother with pancreatic cancer and later her father with congestive heart failure, both of whom lived their final years in her home. In this conversation, Jessica shares how these two caregiving scenarios impacted her life, family, and home, how she managed her relationship with her siblings throughout, and how this role inspired her to create ianacare.

The first line of the “I’m Part of the Story” song written by Priscilla Momah for The Negative Space “I’m supposed to be the strong one that rises up when the storm comes,” inspired this conversation in which Justin and Allison talk about how caregivers commonly feel or are told that they need to be strong.