ALS Caregivers and Beyond
Mary Hahn Ward & Lara Garey
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About This Podcast
Lara Garey & Mary Ward explore their journeys in the context of being an ALS Caregiver and the Beyond. Beyond is the afterlife of ALS when the person they are caring for has passed away. They are authentic in their conversations, strong in advocacy, embrace humor, and share BIG feels as needed. Mary has been caring for her husband, Tom, for many years, the last thirteen have included ALS. Lara cared for her husband, Tom, for six years, from diagnosis to death. Tom died in July 2022. Yes, they each married a man named Tom and they are both military veterans.
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Recent Episodes
E18: Hard Truths, Hidden Gifts, and Holding Boundaries
In this episode of ALS Caregivers & Beyond, co-hosts Mary Ward and Lara Garey welcome their second guest, Lisa Musselman — a fellow caregiver, advocate, and newly selected Elizabeth Dole…
E17: Help is on the Way
In this heartfelt conversation, Lara and Mary return after a year-long pause to reflect on the transitional journeys they’ve each faced as ALS caregivers. Both of their husbands, coincidentally named…
E16: Intentional Living
In this unforgettable episode, we broke new ground by podcasting face-to-face—no Zoom required. Lara and her special friend, Grant Trevarthen, visited Tom and me for a few days, and we had the…
E15: Stretching Our Wings
In this episode, we’re embracing new horizons. One of us has been on exciting adventures, exploring both nationally and globally, while the other has been discovering the beauty and challenges of…
E14: Catching Up with Lara & Mar
The first quarter of the year is wrapping up and it's been a whirlwind for both of us. We share where we are in this caregiver life (Mar) and where we are in the Beyond (Lara). There has been lots of…
E13: Meditation Mindfulness
In this episode, Mary and Lara discuss the strategies they have learned and continue to practice to help ease the ALS caregiver and survivor journey. Both Mary and Lara discuss how they came to these…
E12: 'tis the season strategies
This time of year, the holidays, can be a challenge for us in the ALS community, now and in the afterlife. We do our best to figure out ways to make it palatable. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we…
E11: When Sympathy Goes Sideways
Lara and Mary dig into their experiences when sympathy from others produces big feelings that are not always positive. Lara says "It's the look" and it is, isn't it? They also share some big laughs…
E10: Finding Grace
Mary & Lara chat about finding grace and its value to their life. They have each discovered in their own way that grace frees them from the constraints of feeling guilty, encourages them to be…
E9: The Need to Belong
Lara and Mary explore the need to belong, the loss of belonging, and the uncertainties of future belongingness and how they feel about it. This may resonate with ALS caregivers and those living the…
E8: A Fix-it?
Yes, that is exactly what Lara and Mary are becoming...fix-its. They are learning to fix the practical and seemingly improbable, such as a water irrigation system! The more they learn to fix, the…
E7: Advocacy in Action Part 2 - Legislation
Hello! Welcome to episode 7. Lara and Mary wrap up their conversation regarding the Elizabeth Dole Act. Check out their conversation regarding the pieces of it that are most relevant to our veterans…
E6: Scratching for Gratitude
Gratitude can be a challenge to find some days. In this ALS Caregiver & Beyond life, Lara and Mary embrace a practice of mindfulness and gratitude. For the days they fail to find something to be…
E5: Advocacy in Action Part 1 - Legislation
In episode four we talked about advocacy and our efforts over the years. Today, we dig deeper into a piece of legislation, the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act 2023. The components of the legislation we…
E4: Advocacy - Your Voice Matters
Lara and Mary talk advocacy in this episode. First, they check in with one another and discover that they each had an unexpected recent experience. They talk a bit about how these experiences…
E3: Meeting Us Where We are
Lara and Mary share how the ins and outs of navigating their emotions are tricky sometimes. They can lose sight of life outside of ALS and the places it takes their feelings. They have learned how to…
E2: Quicksand
Some days are like quicksand. We can't move, forward or backward. Moving backward could be an option if it meant it helped us move. We'd much rather move forward. We get stuck. Join us as we talk…
E1: Just More
In this first episode, Lara and Mary share big feelings about how the disease impacts them and the role of advocacy in their lives. Storytelling is something they have in common. It helps them cope…
Frequently Asked Questions
ALS Caregivers and Beyond has published 18 episodes since August 2023, covering topics in Documentary, Society & Culture.
ALS Caregivers and Beyond is currently sporadic with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 42m.
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