What We Need to Talk About When We Talk About Mental Wellness

This episode of Profound Conversations will explore the intersection between cultures of care, the dynamics of loss and grieving, as well as the impact that donation has for families that give and receive the gift of life. Our intent for this episode will be to create new understandings and pathways to wellness within the context of great loss.

Our Profound Conversationalists include Dr. Clive Callender, Ingrid Palacios, Nila Schwab, Joey Boudreaux, and our conductor Joia Jefferson Nuri.

Show Topics and Highlights

“Over the past year we've been talking about organ donation and how that works. But the one thing we haven't discussed yet, until today, is the grieving process. The world knows more about grieving now then probably did two years ago as we grieve in mass numbers around COVID. “

“My brother wanted to be an organ donor. He wanted to help somebody.”

“If you ever met a donor recipient, they always want to give back. They want to share the story they want to help.“

It's very hard to think when you're in shock, and that's usually what's happening when we approach a family about organ donation.

There are many people who help support families through the organ donation process. What exactly does that "support" look like?

“There are so many different levels of grief. And sometimes it comes back.”

Not everyone is educated to work with different types of grieving, different types of culture.

“We are there to be advocates, we are there to be liaisons, we are there to be those people that will honor those family's wishes.”

“The law requires the deceased persons wishes be followed, whether the family likes it or not. That you if you decided you wanted to be a donor, you will be a donor. And if the family doesn't like it, it is unfortunate, but the donation will proceed.”

There's still a percentage of people who still believe that they need their organs to get into Heaven, that is why more education is needed.

“In the African American community, there is a fear that you will be left to die because your organs are needed, you could keep five people alive. And that the emergency room doctors will not do the best for you, because they want your organs. That's wholeheartedly not true.”

“Grief is ongoing. And someone like me who held it in for quite some time because I didn't know who to say it to, I didn't know if anybody would understand what I was going through. But when I got to LOPA and I tell everyone, my healing began when I began to share my story began to listen to others and and how we can help each other through what we were going through.”

Profound Conversations Executive Producers are the Muslim Life Planning Institute, a national community building organization whose mission is to establish pathways to lifelong learning and healthy communities at the local, national and global level.   MLPN.life

The Profound Conversations podcast is produced by Erika Christie www.ErikaChristie.com