27 Oct 2026 05:05
The Other Side of Caregiving: Grief, Vulnerability & Finding Joy with Lindsey & Thomas Kealey (315)
After losing Thomas’s mother to pancreatic cancer and navigating Thomas’s aggressive leukemia diagnosis, bone marrow transplant, relapse, and ongoing recovery, Lindsay and Thomas join Dr. Ann Kelley to share their deeply personal journey through cancer, caregiving, grief, and resilience. Together, they explore the emotional realities of serious illness, the often-overlooked grief experienced by caregivers, and how vulnerability, honest communication, and mutual support can strengthen relationships during life’s most uncertain moments.
“If I’m going to go through this, I want to grow through this.” – Thomas Kealey
Time Stamps for The Other Side of Caregiving: Grief, Vulnerability & Finding Joy with Lindsey & Thomas Kealey (315)
03:59 Transition from caregiver to patient 09:52 Keys to acceptance and trust in medical care 24:51 Supporting each other through grief and fear 34:59 Practical tools for caregivers and patients 45:11 Talking about fear and end-of-life conversations 55:10 Creating normalcy and connection in the hospital 59:51 Living with uncertainty and foreboding joy
About our Guests – Lindsey & Thomas Kealey
Thomas is a dedicated Preoperative & Post Anesthesia charge nurse in Bend, Oregon. As a co-host of the Brain it On! Podcast, he shares insights from his personal journey with Multiple Phenotype Acute Leukemia (MPAL) and a bone marrow transplant. His mission is strengthened by the mutual support he shared with his mother, who had pancreatic cancer, to inspire and help others facing medical challenges.
Lindsey is an instructor of Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State University and the author of PAWsitive Choices Social and Emotional Learning. Her experience teaching in elementary schools and higher education led her to create a curriculum that integrates neuroscience and problem-solving to foster children’s resilience. As a co-host of the Brain it On! Podcast, she shares key learnings from her journey through her husband’s cancer treatment to help others navigate adversity.
Resources for The Other Side of Caregiving: Grief, Vulnerability & Finding Joy with Lindsey & Thomas Kealey (315)
Brain It On! – Thomas and Lindsey’s podcast
The Comfort & Healing Companion: A Patient and Caregiver Toolkit for Treatment, Recovery, and Beyond – Thomas &Lindsey’s book, get your copy!
Instagram – Following the Brain It On podcast’s profile
