My conversation with widower Wesley Bain is truly one of the most profound and important conversations I've had on this show, and in my life. In October 2020 I had the honor of interviewing his late wife, Christina Bain who at the time had been experiencing chronic Stage 4 Colon Cancer at age 36. On February 8, 2021Christina died. Eight months later I got a note from Wesley. Wesley’s note began a conversation that blossomed into the interview we recorded on February 9, 2022.
In this episode, we explored their love, what it was like to be by her side as the cancer wreaked havoc on her, how inspired he was by her commitment to helping other cancer patients, the conversations he had and continues to have with their daughter Marlowe, the complexity of navigating her death amid the pandemic and so much more. All I can tell you is that I felt Christina in the room with us.
What to Make When You’re Dying by Christina Bain
GSB Podcast Episode: Bearing the Wait with Christina Bain
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(08:38) - United by improv: How did Wesley and
Christina meet
(12:33) - Making sense of incomprehensible news: What did Wesley experience when
Christina got diagnosed?
(17:46) - ‘Get back to normal’: Wesley’s process of recognizing anticipatory grief and
having time for himself
(26:19) - On Christina’s legacy and the gifts she crafted before passing
away
(33:43) - Christina’s work as a patient advocate for the Livestrong Cancer Institutes
(38:36) - How did Wesley spend his last days with Christina?
(46:40) - On Christina’s farewell ceremony and the snowstorm that followed
(01:00:16) What has Wesley learned about himself through all of this?