June 2nd, 2025
In this deeply personal episode, Mark Chesnut returns to Grief Out Loud to share his experience of losing his sister Glynn to ovarian cancer. Glynn chose medical aid in dying after nearly four years of treatment, giving Mark and his family the unusual experience of knowing when death would occur. This conversation explores the complexity of "scheduled death," the challenges of finding appropriate language to discuss medical aid in dying, and how knowing the date changed their family's grieving process. Mark Chesnut is a journalist, editor, public speaker, and the author of: Prepare for Departure. Mark previously appeared on Grief Out Loud in October 2022, discussing caring for his mother at the end of her life. Mark lives in New York City with his husband Angel and recently wrote an article about his sister's experience with medical aid in dying. This episode is the second in our 2025 three-part series highlighting the voices of communities who have historically been underrepresented in the grief world. The series is part of an ongoing collaboration between Dougy Center and The New York Life Foundation. We are deeply grateful for New York Life Foundation's tireless support and advocacy for children and teens who are grieving.
Go To EpisodeThis is an encore episode that originally aired on February 25th, 2019. Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC, recently published her new book, Anxiety, the Missing Stage of Grief, that delves into all the ways read more...
Go to EpisodeWhen someone dies, many of us expect to cry and feel frustrated, but we aren’t as prepared for intense fear and worry. Anxiety can catch us off-guard, either because we’ve never dealt with it before o read more...
Go to EpisodeWhen someone dies, many of the people left behind seek out formal sources of help like a therapist or traditional support group. What happens though when those avenues don’t feel like the right fit? T read more...
Go to EpisodeThe list of things that are hard to do when you’re grieving is long - eating, sleeping, focusing, surface-level chit-chat, remembering where you left your phone, planning for the future, or forgiving read more...
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