From Where I Sit: Becky Galli on Grief, Disability, Faith, and Choosing Hope

In this deeply moving episode of The Human Experience, host Jennifer Peterkin sits down with Rebecca (Becky) Faye Smith Galli in her Maryland home for a powerful conversation about loss, resilience, faith, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Becky shares her life journey marked by profound hardship, including the death of her teenage brother, raising children with special needs, divorce, and sudden paralysis from transverse myelitis—a rare spinal cord inflammation that left her wheelchair-bound just days after her marriage ended. Through it all, Becky reflects on grief, uncertainty, and the strength she found through faith, family, community, and storytelling.

She also discusses founding Pathfinders for Autism, navigating evolving autism awareness, and how writing became both a lifeline and a calling—allowing her to connect with others and offer hope through shared experience. Becky’s story is a testament to compassion, perseverance, and the belief that life can still be good—no matter what.

📍 This episode was recorded in Timonium, Maryland

Key Takeaways:

● Personal experiences of profound loss and lifelong grief.

● The impact of a sibling’s death on family dynamics and identity.

● How different family members grieve in different ways.

● The challenges and rewards of raising children with special needs.

● Coping strategies for repeated adversity and unanswered questions.

● The importance of community, support systems, and shared understanding.

● The evolution of autism awareness and access to resources.

● Balancing personal health challenges with parenting and purpose.

● The role of faith, optimism, and mindset in resilience.

● Storytelling as a powerful tool for healing, connection, and hope.

Rebecca (Becky) Faye Smith Galli’s Bio:

Rebecca (Becky) Faye Smith Galli is an author and columnist who writes about love, loss, resilience, and healing. After surviving a series of life-altering losses—including the death of her 17-year-old brother, her son’s degenerative illness and death, her daughter’s autism diagnosis, divorce, and paralysis from transverse myelitis—Becky discovered an unexpected but prolific writing career.

In 2000, The Baltimore Sun published her first column about playing soccer with her son—from the wheelchair that inspired her long-running column, From Where I Sit. Her website now houses over 400 published columns.

Becky is the author of Rethinking Possible: A Memoir of Resilience (2017) and Morning Fuel: Daily Inspirations to Stretch Your Mind Before Starting Your Day (2024). She continues to publish Thoughtful Thursdays—Lessons from a Resilient Heart, sharing insights that help others stay grounded in hope.

A Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC Chapel Hill, Becky previously worked at IBM, where she received the Golden Circle Award for marketing excellence. She lives in Lutherville, Maryland, outside of Baltimore. Her guiding belief: “Life can be good—no matter what.”

Connect with Becky Galli:

🌐 Website: www.BeckyGalli.com

🌐 Website: www.RebeccaFayeSmithGalli.com

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chairwriter/

🐦 X (Twitter): https://www.x.com/chairwriter

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-faye-smith-galli-061501a/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chairwriter/

📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/chairwriter/

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