59 min
8. The Intimacy of Caregiving Relationships | Jessi Smith Spooning with Spoonies
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- Relationships
“Relationships that involve caregiving, require a type of intimacy that a lot of relationships between able bodied people don’t ever have”-Jessi Smith
You don’t often see relationships between disabled/chronically ill and able bodied people portrayed positively or even shown at all in the media. You don’t see the intimacy that comes with caregiving, the teamwork, the fun and silly moments, the strength of the bond between two people facing challenges together, and, what may surprise some, the normalcy!
In today’s episode Jessi Smith a disabled, queer, non-binary, writer, activist, musician, composer, performer and the advocate behind @disablednotdefeated on IG, shares their love story with their husband Elliot. From the not so subtle way their husband asked them out, teaching Noa the art of picking someone up at a coffee shop, to saving spoons to create intentional moments during their wedding, to finding moments of joy together today, and to how Jessi and their partner Elliott see chronic illness and the subsequent challenges as growth opportunities for their relationship.
Jessi chats with Noa about the fun and funny aspects of caregiving like leg shaving and chair transfers, what a typical date night looks like for them, and their attitude and approach towards intimacy with chronic illness. Most importantly, Jessi and Noa talk about the importance of being loved with, not despite chronic illness and shifting/fighting ableist mindsets and narratives telling chronically ill people that they are burdensome and are “lucky” to be in a relationship and be loved.
**CW: This episode contains mention of sex trafficking and abuse**
Transcript coming soon!
Links:
-Pod IG: @spooningwithspooniespod
-Jessi’s IG: @disablednotdefeated
-John Gottman reference: https://armchairexpertpod.com/pods/john-gottman
“Relationships that involve caregiving, require a type of intimacy that a lot of relationships between able bodied people don’t ever have”-Jessi Smith
You don’t often see relationships between disabled/chronically ill and able bodied people portrayed positively or even shown at all in the media. You don’t see the intimacy that comes with caregiving, the teamwork, the fun and silly moments, the strength of the bond between two people facing challenges together, and, what may surprise some, the normalcy!
In today’s episode Jessi Smith a disabled, queer, non-binary, writer, activist, musician, composer, performer and the advocate behind @disablednotdefeated on IG, shares their love story with their husband Elliot. From the not so subtle way their husband asked them out, teaching Noa the art of picking someone up at a coffee shop, to saving spoons to create intentional moments during their wedding, to finding moments of joy together today, and to how Jessi and their partner Elliott see chronic illness and the subsequent challenges as growth opportunities for their relationship.
Jessi chats with Noa about the fun and funny aspects of caregiving like leg shaving and chair transfers, what a typical date night looks like for them, and their attitude and approach towards intimacy with chronic illness. Most importantly, Jessi and Noa talk about the importance of being loved with, not despite chronic illness and shifting/fighting ableist mindsets and narratives telling chronically ill people that they are burdensome and are “lucky” to be in a relationship and be loved.
**CW: This episode contains mention of sex trafficking and abuse**
Transcript coming soon!
Links:
-Pod IG: @spooningwithspooniespod
-Jessi’s IG: @disablednotdefeated
-John Gottman reference: https://armchairexpertpod.com/pods/john-gottman
59 min