Bereaved But Still Me

How do you say "hello" to one child while you're saying "good-bye" to another? Why was going to sleep such a terrifying experience for Megan? What was the big lesson Megan and her family learned after Aria passed away? Megan Hillukka is a bereaved mother, with 7 children, 6 of who are still here. Megan encourages and supports grieving mothers that though the worst thing has happened to them, their...

Jordon Ferber is the Host of “Where’s the Grief?” Jordon Ferber’s only brother Russell was killed in a car accident in 2002 at the age of 21. He was just about to graduate from The Culinary Institute of America with a Pastry/Baking Arts degree. Jordon was 24, and just 2 years into his own career as a stand-up comedian. Jordon Ferber has also been running a local support group for siblings – The Co...

How can a father deal with losing a son to cerebral palsy? What does it mean to have cerebral palsy? What advice does a father of two sets of twins have for others who have premature babies with severe birth defects? It’s extremely difficult to have a child with a chronic illness. It’s especially difficult when we lose a child, even when it is a child who was born with a chronic illness. It seems...

The loss of a spouse may be the hardest thing we can ever face. Lingering questions might haunt us seemingly forever. If I remarry, will I somehow diminish my first husband or wife? Must I, therefore, remain alone for the rest of my life? How can I possibly make room for someone new in my life? Not surprisingly these questions are faced every day by those around us. With us today are Jenny and Dan...

On August 15, 2018, while traveling to a minor league baseball game, the unthinkable happened. Marcy’s car was rear-ended and her 14-year-old son was killed instantly. Marcy’s world, and that of her family, was immediately crushed. Marcy, a pediatrician, struggled to help herself and her family. While looking for resources, Marcy was unable to find a podcast for bereaved parents. So she decided sh...

This is a very special episode in which Michael talks with "Bereaved But Still Me" (BBSM) friends and family who have been with us during the last five years. Together we've learned that grief shared is divided while joy shared is multiplied. It is our hope that over the years we've been able to share some healing with our listeners. Guests include production staff and previous guests on BBSM. In...

In this episode, “A Duet of Joy and Sorrow with Alden Solovy” we’ll be taking a look at some of the issues surrounding that very challenge. Alden Solovy spreads joy and excitement for prayer. An American Israeli liturgist, poet, lyricist, author, and educator, Alden is the Liturgist-in-Residence for the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. His writing was transformed by multiple traged...

What can we learn from others who have lived through traumatic experiences? Why would someone bicycle almost 5000 miles across the country alone? By the time David Richman was in his late 30s, he knew he needed to make a change. Overweight, sedentary, in an abusive and unhealthy marriage, David realized that he wouldn’t have satisfaction in his life without zeroing in on what he wanted for himself...

Can we talk to people who have a different faith than we do about grief and death? What can we learn from each other? What value is there in talking to people of different faiths when it comes to grief and grieving? Stacy Henagan is a co-pastor of Keypoint Church in northwest Arkansas — a multi-campus church she founded with her husband, Casey. She is also an author, speaker, and conference host....

Grief is a difficult topic to discuss but talking about loss by suicide seems to be even more challenging. How does losing a child by suicide affect your life? How can a person’s faith help them cope with the loss of a son by suicide? Faye and Carter Mayberry are the parents of Candace, Jordan, Jacob, and Ashton. Ashton died from suicide at age 21 on January 28, 2014. Since then, they have started...

How does a person react to having to give bad news day after day, even hour after hour? When COVID-19 news is what is being talked about around the clock for months, how does that affect a news correspondent? What feelings are evoked when doing stories about COVID-19? This episode features John Vause, a multi-award-winning journalist for CNN International (CNNI). John started out as a reporter in...

What?! David Ossman again? No, you’re not insane. Welcome to Side 6 as Michael meets up one more time, here at Bob’s Berserko Lounge, with Firesign Theater’s David Ossman to talk about the life, times, and comedy of Peter Bergman. In this episode, Michael talks again with Firesign Theater’s David Ossman at the old Same place to talk about the life, times, and comedy of Peter Bergman. David Ossman...

David Ossman is an American writer and performer, best known as a quarter of The Firesign Theatre, whose collective work includes comedy albums, plays, films, and radio shows. He’s best known for his role as George Leroy (“Porgie”) Tirebiter in Firesign’s LP “Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me The Pliers,” a hero of two mystery novels and hours of broadcasts. His Catherwood the Butler delivers the cl...

What happens when we lose our spouse unexpectedly? Why does it seem that sometimes, when it rains, it pours? How does a person recover when she’s facing trauma after trauma? Jenny Muscatell dealt with a faith-stretching kind of growth in 2013. In April her mother died. Two months later, her husband died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 38. A few months later, her daughter, who had alre...

Who is Edy Nathan? Why would someone choose to use EMDR therapy to cope with grief? What is EMDR? Why would a therapist use hypnotherapy to help someone cope with grief? What is hypnotherapy? We’ll discover answers to these questions and more in this enlightening program. Our guest today is Edy Nathan, LCSW, MA. She is an experienced psychotherapist, best-selling author, and has been a guest on mu...

In this episode, we speak with Rabbi Dan Liben, of Temple Israel of Natick, about faith and grief. Lots of people talk about faith. They may talk about faith in God or faith in man or faith in science, but what is faith? How does faith help us during times of distress? Perhaps, instead of faith, people are talking about a kind of trust. Is faith something we should consciously think about in our e...

Our Guest, Evan Kent earned his doctorate in music education from Boston University in 2014. His doctoral research examined how music at Jewish summer camps in North America assists in the development of Jewish identity. For 25 years, Evan was the cantor at Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles. He is currently on the faculty of Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem where he teaches liturgy and sacred music. E...

Who is Adrianne Behning? Why would someone choose to go into nursing and specifically become a palliative care nurse? What is a palliative care nurse? How has being a palliative care nurse affected Adrianne’s philosophy of life? What about her feelings about death and dying? What is Adrianne’s podcast about? We’ll discover answers to these questions and more in this enlightening program. Adrianne...

ד"ר תמר אשכנזי היא המתאמת הלאומית של התוכנית הישראלית לתרומות איברים, והיא תדבר בתוכנית שלנו על ההיסטוריה של תרומות איברים בישראל, ואיך המודעות לעניין זה התפתחה וממשיכה לגדול. היא תדבר גם על איך ההגדרה החוקית של קביעת המוות כמוות מוחי איפשרה לאנשים ממגזרים רבים יותר להירשם כתורמי איברים. מדינת ישראל אימצה את המודל הספרדי של תרומת איברים, ובמודל זה, בכל בית חולים ישנו מתאם תרומות איברים שאחראי לעזו...

What do we need to prepare for our loved ones so that when we pass, they will know our last wishes? What can we do to make sure that when we pass. our loved ones will be able to make sense of our last wishes. What is the importance of leaving an organized last will and testament? Where do we leave all the relevant insurance information? What is the importance of having all our financial papers in...

Tamar Ashkenazi, Ph. D., national coordinator of Israel’s national transplant system, discusses the history of transplants in Israel, how transplant awareness has grown and how the definition of death as brain death has allowed more people to become donors. Israel has adopted the Spanish model of donation, wherein every hospital has a transplant coordinator who helps donor families, through the di...

Do men and women grieve differently from each other, or is there a better way to understand the way they mourn? Dr. Kenneth J. Doka talks with Michael about a spectrum from Intuitive grievers to Instrumental grievers, and that how we understand the way our friends and family mourn, can help us to comfort them more effectively. Grief characteristics are not specific to gender so much as they relate...

Grief and trauma expert, Edy Nathan, LCSW, MA, joins Michael Liben in this episode of "Heart to Heart with Michael' with a unique outlook on grief and loss. Edy Nathan uses a number of techniques to help people find their "new ordinary." Viewing her patients through the prism of grief, Edy Nathan helps people look at their preconceived notions in a whole new way. How do people get out of their pai...

This month, Heart to Heart with Michael sits down with Laura Redfern, Certified Financial Planner, and will be looking at some of the things that each of us can do in order to better plan for our family’s future. Oftentimes families are faced with confusion when trying to understand the wishes of their loved ones. Proper planning can avoid confusion after our death, and can make our intentions kno...

Are there times when it seems inappropriate to grieve in public? What happens when those around us fail to recognize our grief or our right to grieve? Dr. Kenneth J. Doka takes us through the concept of Disenfranchised Grief, and how it can affect our ability to properly process our grief. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bereaved-but-still-me--2108929/support .