Catching Up with Jason and Elizabeth
Jason and Elizabeth are thrilled that they've now recorded ten podcasts with ten amazing people and have so much in store for Who Lives Like This?! During today's podcast, the two banter about what's been happening in their lives since they last spoke and launched the podcast which, obviously, is mostly stuff related to caregiving.Elizabeth tries to entertain with her latest tale of woe -- a Monty Python-esque experience getting the insurance company to cover some medication to help her daughter, Sophie, who has had a recurrence of ESES (electrical status epilepticus in slow-wave sleep), a rare and devastating seizure syndrome. Jason goes along with the gallows humor by describing the whole clusterfoolery (insert curse words here, at your own risk) as "an insurance miracle!" which sends Elizabeth into hysterical laughter. They both agree that it's laughter, humor and camaraderie with people who understand exactly what you're going through that sustains you, even during the most difficult times.
You can read more about this struggle at Elizabeth's blog, a moon worn as if it had been a shell.
The saga is intended as a series and, so far, has two parts:
Sophie vs. The Great American Healthcare System, Part 1,000,000: Round One
Sophie vs. The Great American Healthcare System, Part 1,000,000: Round Two
The podcast has been an incredible venture so far, both hosts agree, and they discuss which episodes have resonated in particular for them. Jason has been inspired and moved by several of the guests' talk of self-care, particularly Paige Figi's in Climbing Mountains with Paige Figi. He also had a kind of "punch in the gut" moment hearing about how Jeneva Stone keeps up a steady stream of communication and talk with her non-verbal son Robert in Writing, Identity and DNA.
Elizabeth was affected profoundly by the conversation with Josh Fyman about how he and his wife decided to place their daughter in a residential setting in Making a Decision About Who Will Care for Your Child.
