Pieces You’ll Never Get Back | Survival, Motherhood, and Finding Your Voice with Author, Advocate, and Mother Samina Ali

About this episode

Samina Ali shares her experience of medical trauma during childbirth and the importance of advocating for oneself in the healthcare system.

In this episode I’m joined by author, advocate, and mother Samina Ali. After months of trying to make this conversation happen, we finally sit down to talk about her memoir Pieces You’ll Never Get Back and the life changing medical trauma she experienced during childbirth at one of the top hospitals in the United States. What should have been a joyful pregnancy turned into something much more serious, as Samina repeatedly asked for help and was dismissed again and again. She shares what came next, a devastating medical emergency and a seven year recovery where she had to relearn how to speak, walk, and function, all while raising a newborn. We talk about those early days after her coma, when she didn’t recognize her husband, couldn’t speak English, and had to slowly reconnect with her life while her son fought in the NICU. We also get into the reality of the medical system, especially for women of color, and how often women are dismissed even when they know something is wrong in their own bodies. This conversation goes beyond her story into something bigger. We talk about grief and how it stays with you, about finding purpose after trauma, and about the world we’re living in…

People in this episode

Guest: Samina Ali

Topics covered

• medical trauma
• motherhood
• advocacy
• women's health
• grief
• self-advocacy

Keywords

• medical trauma
• childbirth
• advocacy
• women of color
• grief
• self-advocacy
• motherhood

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cloud10

Books & works: Pieces You’ll Never Get Back

Places: United States

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