Women Walking

Saiqa's Story: Love, Loss, and What Comes After

Debbie Ventimiglia and Courtney Park-Jamborsky Season 1 Episode 18

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In this episode of Women Walking, we speak with my longtime friend and global health colleague, Saiqa Panjsheri, about walking through some difficult life transitions. Saiqa shares her family's extraordinary story of fleeing Afghanistan, growing up with a visible physical difference, and the resilience woven through generations of her family. She also speaks with honesty and grace about the loss of her husband, John, to suicide three years ago--what happened that day, how she and her son survived the unimaginable, and what it means to rebuild a life in the aftermath. This conversation is tender, raw, and full of the kind of truth that helps us feel less alone.  

If you're not in a place to hear someone speak openly about suicide today, please take care of yourself and come back when you're ready. 

And listen in to a bonus "Thank You" at the end where Saiqa describes how the women in her "tribe" continue to walk with her.