If you've ever wondered how love could deepen in the face of the unthinkable, episode 424 of Grief and Happiness is for you. David Marsden shares the remarkable story of his late-in-life relationship with journalist Alicia Shepard — a partnership that survived two stage 4 cancer diagnoses and a role reversal between patient and caregiver that brought them closer than ever. Through loss, David reveals how asking for help and finding gratitude in the smallest moments can transform even the hardest chapters into something profoundly beautiful.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
(01:00) David's stage 4 melanoma survival and late-in-life love story
(02:25) A first date on April Fool's Day that began and ended eleven years later
(03:49) Why the publisher dropped the book the day Lisa died — and David's refusal to let it go
(08:53) Why Lisa packed up and followed David to war-torn Afghanistan
(10:11) Cycling Iowa, visiting Alaska, and hiking the Grand Canyon with stage 4 lung cancer
(11:35) Back-to-back diagnoses and swapping roles between patient and caregiver
(13:30) In Lisa's own words: when a cancer diagnosis turns your world upside down
(15:35) Why asking for help changes everything during serious illness
(17:16) Finding gratitude in shrinking walks as the end drew near
(19:31) How the book carries Lisa's voice forward for cancer patients and families
David Marsden is a stage 4 melanoma survivor and the widower of award-winning journalist Alicia C. Shepard, former NPR ombudsman and contributor to the New York Times and Washington Post. The two met on Match.com in 2012, embarking on a late-in-life love story that took them from cycling across Iowa to working side by side in Afghanistan and hiking the Grand Canyon — all while navigating back-to-back stage 4 cancer diagnoses. After Alicia passed away on April 1, 2023 — eleven years to the day of their first date — David honored her dying wish by shepherding her memoir to publication with Bloomsbury. He contributed the epilogue, with a foreword by Alicia's son, filmmaker Cutter Hodierne. The Luckiest Unlucky Couple: A Medical Love Story is available now, with proceeds supporting cancer research and a foundation funding fellowships for women in journalism.
In this episode, David opens up about the emotional terrain of loving someone through illness — and being loved through it yourself. He reflects on the shock of their sequential diagnoses, the profound role reversal of moving between patient and caregiver, and the unexpected gifts that came with both: learning to ask for help, leaning into community, and finding deep gratitude in the smallest moments. He also shares the story of getting Alicia's book across the finish line after her passing — a labor of love that became, as he describes it, a way to continue the relationship and honor everything she wanted to say.
Connect with David Marsden:
Book: Alicia C. Shepard - The Luckiest Unlucky Couple: A Medical Love Story
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The Grief and Happiness Alliance
Book: Emily Thiroux Threatt - Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief
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