The SH!T Sandwich Generation

Send us Fan Mail Can a caregiver ever really get away? When MaryBeth finally took a vacation while caring for their mom, she packed more than a suitcase. She packed guilt, backup plans, and the fear that something would happen while she was gone. She and Susan had planned carefully. One sister would always be home. Everything was covered. Or so they thought. What happens when the one time you fina...

Send us Fan Mail We thought getting our mom out of the hospital would be the turning point. Instead, she came home with a gaping wound, conflicting instructions, and no clear plan—and our relief was quickly replaced by the overwhelming reality of managing her care at home. What happened next exposed a side of hospital discharge most families never see until they are living it: the moment professio...

Send us Fan Mail One specialist says one thing.  Another team says something different.  Rounds happen before you arrive - or after you leave - and the person you love may not remember what anyone said. Even as physicians, MaryBeth and Susan struggled to understand who was making decisions about their mother's care. In this episode, they share what every family should know about asking questi...

Send us Fan Mail It was supposed to be 48–72 hours. Then three days wasn’t three days. Slowly, the hospital stopped being somewhere we visited and became where our family lived. Clothes stayed in the car. Meals came from cafeterias. Work happened from hallways and bedside chairs. And life outside the hospital somehow kept moving. In this episode, MaryBeth and Susan share what happens when a hospit...

Send us Fan Mail We thought we were finally nearing the finish line. Our mom had made it through one major surgery. Then came the surgery we hoped would finally remove the cancer—and at first, the news was everything we had prayed for. Until it wasn't. In this episode, we share what happened when a surgery that seemed to go according to plan suddenly took an unexpected turn, and the finish li...

Send us Fan Mail When a parent faces major surgery, someone has to manage the appointments, hotel rooms, transportation, work schedules—and decide who will actually be there. But what happens when the family group text goes silent? As our mom prepared for two major surgeries, the logistics were only part of the burden. We talk honestly about unequal caregiving, unspoken expectations, resentment, d...

Send us Fan Mail Our mother had already endured one brutal surgery and vowed she would never do it again. Then an aggressive cancer left us facing an impossible choice and a plan that kept changing faster than we could process it. Two major surgeries. Two different hospitals. Multiple specialists. And through it all, Mom kept asking the one question that mattered most to her. 🎙 The Sh!t Sandwich G...

Send us Fan Mail Just when we thought we could finally breathe again, the floor fell out beneath us. After months of treatment, our mom was doing well. We had started making plans again. For the first time in a long time, we allowed ourselves to believe the hardest part might be behind us. Then one message changed everything. In this episode, we share what it feels like to have hope ripped away......

In this episode, we step away from the timeline of our mom’s illness to talk about something less visible—but just as real. What happens to you in the middle of all of it? When you’re constantly moving between roles—parent, caregiver, professional—you don’t always notice the shift happening. You’re showing up. You’re functioning. You’re doing what needs to be done. But somewhere along the way… you...

How do you choose between your kids and your parents when both need you at the same time? In Episode 5, MaryBeth and Susan unpack one of the heaviest parts of the sandwich generation: guilt. The guilt of not spending enough time with aging parents. The guilt of missing moments with your kids. The guilt of putting work, goals, and your own life on hold while trying to care for everyone else. And th...

Getting her home felt like a turning point. After everything that had happened, we thought the hardest part might be behind us. But it wasn't. It was just different. We talk about what it actually looked like bringing her home — how quickly things changed, how much we had to adjust, and how nothing really felt normal anymore. This was the beginning of a new reality. She wasn't herself ye...

This episode continues our Mom's healthcare journey - when everything shifted from trying to understand what was happening... to being asked to make a decision we didn't feel ready to make. Do we stay local or go into the city?  Do we pursue a clinical trial?  When is something an emergency - and what do you do in that moment? We share what it actually felt like to navigate those decisio...

This episode is a deeply personal conversation about our Mom's healthcare journey - from the early signs something wasn't right to the moments that felt confusing, overwhelming, and uncertain.   We share what it was like navigating the system as daughters - and as physicians - while offering insights on how to move through a system that can feel incredibly difficult to navigate.    This...

Welcome to the mess. We're kicking off The Sh!t Sandwich Generation by talking about the stage of life no one prepares you for. You're raising kids. Managing a career. And quietly, your parents are aging. This episode is an honest conversation about how we got here and what it feels like to live in the middle of all of it. The pressure. The guilt. The chaos. And the moments that catch yo...