I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes

On what was supposed to be Gavin's last day of his cancer treatment, everything changed in an instant. In this episode of I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes, I share the story of an unexpected and frightening detour — a rush to the ER that none of us saw coming.

This episode dives into the emotional whiplash of caregiving: the mental load, the constant uncertainty, and how quickly a “normal” day can unravel. It’s raw, it’s real,...

In this episode of I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes Podcast, Carrie Severson shares the moment she realized they'd fallen through the cracks. Despite all the check-ins, appointments, and protocols, Carrie learned—after Gavin was nearly finished with his cancer treatment plan, including several rounds of chemotherapy—that he was never even scheduled to see an oncology nurse. That same day, his essential medication was sent to th...

In this episode of I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes, I open up about one of the most exhausting and vulnerable parts of our caregiving journey—feeding Gavin. At first, I was feeding him by hand through 10 different syringes. And, since he had to be sedated 30 minutes before every radiation session, he was often unconscious or groggy during the times he needed to eat.

It was lonely, sacred, and exhausting work. I had questions...

In this deeply personal podcast episode of, I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes, I share the raw, nerve-wracking experience of bringing my husband home from the long-term cancer wing before I was ready. He wanted out of the hospital, but I wasn't prepared for everything I had to do for him.

I shared my anxiety with the internal medicine department in hopes that they would keep him longer, but the team saw no reason to keep him, ...

After filing formal complaints against the doctors who violated my husband’s patient rights, everything changed.

In this episode, I share what happened next—how advocating for Gavin led to a new physician assistant, a new nurse, and finally, the right medications. It wasn’t easy, but standing my ground shifted the entire course of his care.

Gavin was still in the hospital, newly reliant on a feeding tube and being checked fo...

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, I share the day that marked a turning point in both my husband’s cancer journey and my role as his caregiver.

It was the day he got a feeding tube—and the day I said enough. After witnessing a series of unacceptable medical missteps, I filed formal complaints against a radiology physician assistant, a resident, and a nurse. My husband’s patient rights had been violated, and I coul...

In this deeply personal episode, I share what it was like to get Gavin admitted to long-term cancer care—and the whirlwind that followed. From internal medicine to palliative care, social work to surgical consults, the first few days were a blur of faces and emotions.

One moment stands out: the unprofessional and dismissive physician assistant who reduced my husband’s unimaginable strength to a judgment about his inability t...

In this raw and unfiltered episode of I Saved You. Now Do the Dishes, I walk you through the moment my husband finally faced what he’d been resisting: the need for a feeding tube. What should have been a moment of compassionate care turned into something else entirely—his physician assistant laughed, told him he made her job harder, and actually said we should pray to our lucky stars she could “work her magic” to get him a fee...

In this episode of the, I Saved You. Now Do the Dishes Podcast, I talk about my husband’s not-so-subtle obsession with donuts—and how chasing those sugary circles became our unexpected act of rebellion against the crushing weight of head and neck cancer. While he battled relentless pain and I tried everything to avoid pulling out the Narcan, we clung to small joys like they were life rafts. This one’s about sugar, suffering, s...

On this episode of I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes podcast, I'm getting my husband connected with a palliative care team member to help manage his cancer pain.

If you've followed this season, you know what it took to get there, and the emotional weight of saying yes to more help. I talk about my exhaustion at that point and now, managing the two different forms of oxy prescribed to help him find some relief. It’s a conversati...

In this episode of I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes., I’m sounding the alarm for caregivers walking the brutal line between cancer treatment and pain management. This one is personal. My husband had just been prescribed opioids for pain. And nobody gave him any additional or alternative instructions for days he had chemo. No one warned us about side effects chemo has with Oxy.

This episode outlines the fourth, and last time...

This week, I take you inside one of the hardest chapters of our journey—Week Five. My husband was deep in the trenches of treatment for head and neck cancer, and everything was unraveling. He could barely speak, eat, or drink, and his body was giving out.

As his caregiver and medical advocate, I was doing everything I could to keep him alive—but we didn’t agree on how to do that. He didn’t want a feeding tube. I knew he would...

In this episode of I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes., I pull back the curtain on the chaotic world of cancer treatment scheduling and pain management. Spoiler: it’s less “organized care plan” and more “full-time logistical nightmare.” From juggling 12 appointments in a week to coordinating three different pharmacy pick-ups (yes, really) for five different drugs, I talk about what it’s like to be the caregiver, the calendar, and...

In this episode of the I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes podcast, I open up about the unexpected challenges of caregiving in a hospital setting—specifically, the overwhelming and overstimulating experience of the chemo floor. From the constant beeping of machines to the emotional weight of the space, I share how it all became too much and what I did (or didn’t do) to cope. If you’ve ever felt like you were drowning in the noise ...

In this episode of I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes., I share how I discovered unexpected silver linings throughout my husband’s cancer journey, as well as my alter ego (hello, Spicy Viking!). 

And, even though I shared the importance of finding simple joys in episode five, I dive in a bit more in this episode. Finding small, simple joys that brighten even the darkest days is important as a caregiver. 

As always, I'm raw and ...

In this episode of the I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes podcast, I share my thoughts around a recent AARP article about what to know before becoming a caregiver to your spouse—and why it left me feeling disappointed. While the article offers practical insights, I thought it was insensitive and degrading toward caregivers. The raw, human reality of what it means to stand by your partner through illness is shared by every generat...

In this episode of the I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes Podcast, I respond to some of the comments I’ve received on previous episodes—things like “You’re so strong” or “I couldn’t have done that.” 

I reflect on what those words really mean and why caregivers often don’t feel as strong as they seem. 

I also dive into the emotional toll caregiving takes and why supporting caregivers is so crucial. Plus, I share a tender story a...

When Gavin and I met, he knew of God but didn't have a relationship with Him. Early on in our relationship, I told him that if we stayed together, we'd have to find a church together. 

And that became something I felt deep down in my spirit. 

Get to church. 

I found one and knew it was our community before I got out of the car. 

In January 2023, Gavin was so moved by our pastor that he left church and went straight to the ...

In this deeply personal episode of the I Saved You. Now Do The Dishes Podcast. I share the raw truth about learning to surrender—to the uncertainty, the pain, and the moments in between—while my husband battled through cancer treatment. 

As his pain intensified and narcotics became a necessity, I had to navigate not just the timing of his pain management doses, his calorie intake, and all his treatment appointments but also t...