Wait... Is This My Life?

In this episode, I discuss comparing my life and timeline to others; something that I have done since I was a teenager. I talk about comparing myself when it came to finishing college, my career, body image, where and who I lived with, and my relationship status over the years. I also talk about how changing my mindset around these things helped me focus on what I do have in life instead of what I...

In this episode, I talk with my friend, Chelsea Sullivan, about her experience of finding out she had a benign brain tumor (a meningioma) shortly after her 30th birthday. She discusses how this impacted her life prior to getting this diagnosis, the symptoms she experienced, how this impacted her mental health, and ultimately, how going through this changed her life. Chelsea is the first guest that...

My mom, Jacki, joins me again to discuss our family's nonprofit foundation, Marissa's Mission: No One Fights Alone, which we started in my sister's honor to carry on her work of paying it forward to other patients/families who are going through a blood cancer diagnosis. We discuss how the foundation originated, the types of fundraising events that we host, and also our thoughts on the foundation o...

In this episode, I talk with my friend Nikki (Graham) Wolfinger about her perspective while her Mom went through breast cancer and then losing her Mom when she was only 21 years old. We also discuss Nikki's friendship with my sister, Marissa and how the two experiences of watching both of them go through cancer treatment differed.

In this episode, I discuss a topic that I usually choose to not openly talk about with people in my life... sibling guilt. This topic was a lot harder to talk about while recording this episode in the moment, more than I had anticipated. I touch on how I felt guilty when my sister was diagnosed with Leukemia, when I felt the emotional and mental affects of being one of her caregivers, when she pas...

As a follow up to last week's episode, I continue my conversation with my friend, Kelly. Throughout this episode, we discuss Kelly's relationship with my sister, Marissa. Kelly and Marissa were best friends from the time that they were 8 years old, they were roommates their freshman year in college, and as their lives evolved into adulthood, they remained very close. We also talk about how losing...

In this episode, I talk with my friend, Kelly (Kirlin) Sickel, about her experiences with loss and grief. There are two parts for her episode. Throughout part one, we talk about how Kelly lost her Dad at a very young age and also losing her aunt, her Mom's twin sister, only a few years ago.

In this episode, I dive into some of the things that I have experienced over the past several years in the aftermath of losing my sister. These are things that I wish I knew ahead of time but that I got zero warning about, nor did I ever think that I would experience while coping with grief and navigating my "new normal".

In this episode, I talk with my cousin, Carly McAneny, about her experience of losing her Dad and how she has coped with her grief over the past 8 years. We also talk about how she has supported me through my own grief, how we have leaned on each other through this process, and our different perspectives around loss. Trigger Warning: suicide is discussed in this episode.

Ahead of my sister, Marissa's, upcoming birthday, I talk about how we celebrated our birthdays together over the years since they are 8 days apart. I also talk about how I celebrate and honor her birthday now after losing her and the struggles I have faced, and still deal with, around this time of year.

In this episode, I have my second guest on, my Dad - John aka Mac! We discuss the immense amount of loss that he has endured throughout his life, starting at 19 years old. He details losing his Dad, Mom, two siblings, and his daughter, Marissa, and how he has navigated these losses and the grief throughout his life. Trigger Warning: suicide is discussed in this episode.

In this solo episode, I walk through my experience with anxiety and depression from a young age through adulthood. I also discuss how adding in grief has made it hard to decipher between the three and where I am at currently with my mental health.

In this episode, I have my first guest on, my mom - Jacki! She talks about being a caregiver for her Dad and losing both of her parents. We also discuss her experience of being one of Marissa's caregivers while working full-time and her feelings and thoughts around losing Marissa and navigating the loss of a child.

In this episode, I talk about the initial feelings after losing Marissa and the ways that my life changed in the aftermath.

In this episode, I walk through Marissa's cancer diagnosis, the treatment she underwent, and how our lives changed from this diagnosis. This episode is on the longer side since I am recapping her entire journey, which took place over 2 and a half years.

In this episode, I talk about who my sister, Marissa, was and *try* to describe our relationship. I start from the beginning growing up together and how our relationship evolved into adulthood.

Have you ever found yourself wondering how you got here? Welcome to "Wait… Is This My Life?", the podcast where we get real about the unexpected twists and turns that make life so unpredictable—and sometimes difficult. Hosted by Patrice McAneny, this podcast explores personal stories of grief, loss, and mental health, offering insights and support for those navigating life when it doesn't go the w...