#7 Finding the Joy Through the Pain with Cancer Survivor Merhawit and her Husband Aron

Explicit content warning

11/05/20 • 47 min

CatharSIS: a Podcast about the Meaning of Life

When couples say their vows at the altar, "through sickness and in health," you never really imagine that the sickness would come so soon.

Married couple Aron and Merhawit were caught completely off guard when Merhawit was given a cancer diagnosis while she was pregnant, and while Aron was in medical school.

Despite the heart-breaking, earth-shattering news, painful treatments, and hidden tears, this couple managed to find the silver lining in their adversity. In fact, they believe experiencing adversity in life is crucial to our growth and development as humans...just like it is for lobsters! (Tune in to hear the lobster analogy!)

Aron and Merhawit have a heartwarming perspective on the meaning of life after all that they've gone through.

If you have any questions for Aron & Merhawit, you can contact them at: [email protected]

Get in touch with Michal and Maayan:
Website: https://www.sistersinpsychology.com
Instagram: @sistersinpsychology
Email: [email protected]

References:

Leukemia Lymphoma Society: https://www.lls.org/
Be the Match: https://bethematch.org/
The American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/

When couples say their vows at the altar, "through sickness and in health," you never really imagine that the sickness would come so soon.

Married couple Aron and Merhawit were caught completely off guard when Merhawit was given a cancer diagnosis while she was pregnant, and while Aron was in medical school.

Aron and Merhawit have a heartwarming perspective on the meaning of life after all that they've gone through.

If you have any questions for Aron & Merhawit, you can contact them at: [email protected]

Get in touch with Michal and Maayan:
Website: https://www.sistersinpsychology.com
Instagram: @sistersinpsychology
Email: [email protected]

References:

Leukemia Lymphoma Society: https://www.lls.org/
Be the Match: https://bethematch.org/
The American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/

Previous Episode

#6 It's Not About What You've Lost, But What You've Had with Jeanne Pepper Bernstein

In early January of 2018, Blaze Bernstein was only 19 years old when he was murdered in a hate crime. We had the privilege and honor of meeting and conversing with his mother, Jeanne Pepper Bernstein. She shares with us powerful messages about persevering in times of such despair, while emphasizing the power of hope.
Jeanne is an attorney, writer, speaker and advocate for the Kindness movement and advocates for the LGBTQ community as a parent of a gay teen. She received public attention when her gay Jewish son, Blaze, was murdered at the beginning of 2018 in the first hate crime of that year. Jeanne and her husband Gideon went on to start the #BlazeitForward movement which promotes intentional Kindness and Community Service.
To learn more about Blaze's story, see below:
https://forward.com/opinion/393426/my-son-blaze-bernstein-was-murdered-then-came-the-outpouring-of-love/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blaze-bernstein-was-murder-of-ivy-league-student-a-hate-crime-48-hours/
Jeanne accepts messages through:
Instagram @jeannepepperbernstein and @BlazeitForward_BlazeBernstein
Facebook’s #Blazeitforward public group
and their webpage at https://www.Blazebernstein.org
Get in touch with Michal and Maayan:
Website: https://www.sistersinpsychology.com
Instagram: @sistersinpsychology and @catharsispodcastmeaningoflife
Email: [email protected]
Resources Mentioned
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
Staring at the Sun by Irvin D. Yalom, M.D.
Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, Ph.D.

Next Episode

#8 Understanding How Trauma Manifests in the Body with Polyvagal Theory Expert Justin Sunseri LMFT

You may be stuck, but you're not broken. This is what Justin Sunseri, LMFT and host of the podcast Stuck, Not Broken, wants you to know. He doesn't subscribe to the narrative that you are broken and need healing, but rather, your body is in a defensive autonomic state: flight, fight, shut down or freeze.
Better known as the "fight or flight" response, it is our body's natural physiological response to perceived danger. It's what makes your palms sweat or makes you want to run away and hide when your boss is demanding that finished assignment in two hours.
Polyvagal Theory is a tool clinical practitioners like Justin use to help their clients understand how trauma manifests in the body. Clients can learn to re-access their safety state so they can respond appropriately.
In this episode, Justin will dive deeper into what Polyvagal Theory is and how he uses it with his clients. We hope this episode opens up a whole new world for you on your journey of grieving, personal growth, and trauma recovery.
Resources Mentioned:
Deb Dana Polyvagal Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXGy7M4kvaY&ab_channel=NortonMentalHealth
Dr. Peter Levine, Somatic Experiencing: https://traumahealing.org/
Get in touch with Justin Sunseri LMFT:
Website: https://www.justinlmft.com/home
Podcast: https://www.justinlmft.com/podcast
Get in touch with Michal and Maayan:
Website: https://www.sistersinpsychology.com
Instagram: @sistersinpsychology
Email: [email protected]