The Bridges Between Us

CaringBridge
  • 5.0 (6)
  • NON-PROFIT

The Bridges Between Us shares stories of real families navigating traumatic health challenges - including cancer, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, Alzheimer's, and more. Through intimate, thoughtful conversations with caregivers, patients, healthcare experts, and advocates, the podcast explores what it truly means to navigate illness, recovery, loss, and everything in between. Each episode is a window into lived experience - how people found strength when they least expected it, how communities rallied around families in crisis, and how connection became a form of care all its own. These stories are raw, honest, and deeply human. At its heart, The Bridges Between Us is about exactly what its name suggests: the bridges we build between people, between isolation and community, between hardship and hope. Wherever you are on a health journey - as a caregiver, a patient, a supporter, or someone who simply wants to understand - this podcast invites you to listen slowly, reflect openly, and feel a little less alone.

Episodes

  1. MAY 7

    Grieving Twice: Sally Zibrowski on Alzheimer’s, Caregiving From a Distance, and Showing Up for Her Family

    When Sally Zibrowski’s dad, Andy, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and primary progressive aphasia in 2021 at age 71, her family began to quietly reorient around a new and uncertain reality. Over time, earlier signs - subtle behavioral changes, growing confusion, and moments of paranoia - began to make sense in a way that was both clarifying and heartbreaking. In this episode of The Bridges Between Us, Sally shares what it has meant to support her family through Alzheimer’s - not as the primary caregiver, but as someone caring for the caregiver. Her mother carried the day-to-day responsibilities at home, while Sally worked to support both of them from a distance. She reflects on starting her dad’s CaringBridge page to ease the emotional load on her mother, and how that simple decision became a critical source of connection for their wider community. Instead of managing constant texts and check-ins, CaringBridge became a shared place for updates, memories, and support. Sally also speaks openly about taking FMLA leave to be present for her family, and what she learned about caregiving, exhaustion, and the ways support often arrives quietly - but meaningfully - when it is most needed. Her father, David Anderson, a beloved Minnesota science teacher, baseball coach, and longtime basketball official, passed away in May 2025. His CaringBridge page remains a record of his story and the community that surrounded him throughout his illness. This episode is for anyone navigating Alzheimer’s or dementia in their family, anyone supporting a caregiver, or anyone trying to understand how to show up when life changes slowly and unexpectedly. Topics covered: Early Alzheimer’s and dementia symptoms families often missSupporting a caregiver from a distanceStarting and managing a CaringBridge pageFMLA leave and family caregiving decisionsAnticipatory grief and emotional complexity in dementia careWhat meaningful support looks like for caregiversThe lasting role of community in long health journeysSend us your comments. We'd love to hear from you.

    25 min

  2. MAY 7

    Living with Joy: Cris Ross on Two Cancer Diagnoses, Learning to Receive Support, and the CaringBridge Page That Changed Everything

    Cris Ross spent more than a decade serving as Chief Information Officer at Mayo Clinic, helping lead one of the most respected healthcare organizations in the world through periods of enormous change and complexity. Then, in 2018, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Used to solving problems and carrying responsibility for others, Cris approached treatment the same way he approached work: stay focused, push forward, and keep going. But cancer - and eventually cancer recurrence - forced him to confront something much harder than treatment itself: learning how to let people help him. In this episode of The Bridges Between Us, Cris reflects on the emotional and physical realities of living through two cancer diagnoses, including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, caregiving, and the uncertainty that comes with recurrence. He also shares the turning point that led him to start a CaringBridge page after initially resisting the idea. What began as a practical way to update people became something much more meaningful: a way for friends, family, and community to show up for him during one of the hardest seasons of his life. Throughout the conversation, Cris speaks candidly about perspective, vulnerability, gratitude, and what it means to keep choosing joy even when life changes unexpectedly. For more on his book, Diagnosed, please visit: https://www.amazon.com/Diagnosed-Insiders-Guide-Healthcare-Journey-ebook/dp/B0CRKXC5SH Topics covered: Receiving a colorectal cancer diagnosis while leading at Mayo ClinicNavigating chemotherapy, radiation, and recurrenceThe emotional shift from caregiver and leader to patientWhy Cris initially resisted starting a CaringBridge pageLearning how to receive support from othersThe role family and caregiving played during treatmentLiving with gratitude, perspective, and joy after cancerSend us your comments. We'd love to hear from you.

    26 min

  3. MAY 7

    The Stranger Who Stopped, and the Road Back: Jeff Winston and Jackie Klinkner on Survival, Recovery, and Reconnection

    ⚠️ Content note: This episode includes descriptions of a serious accident and traumatic injury. On a Sunday afternoon outside Minneapolis, Jeff Winston was in a life-altering motorcycle accident that he somehow survived - pulling himself safely to the side of the highway and calling for help. Just behind him, Jackie Klinkner, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), noticed something wasn’t right and made a split-second decision to stop. Using what she had on hand, she stabilized Jeff and stayed with him until emergency responders arrived. They were strangers in a critical moment, connected only by circumstance. Jeff lost his leg below the knee that night. Jackie went home not knowing what happened next. Months later, she came across a CaringBridge page created by Jeff’s fiancée, where friends and family had been following his recovery through regular updates. Through those posts, Jackie finally learned Jeff had survived - and eventually found a way to reconnect. In this episode of The Bridges Between Us, Jeff and Jackie share their story together: the accident, the moments immediately after, the uncertainty that followed, and the unexpected reunion that brought them back together. Jeff also reflects on recovery, adapting to life after limb loss, supporting other amputees through Wiggle Your Toes, and the mindset shift that helped him move from focusing on what was lost to embracing what could still come next. For more information on Wiggle Your Toes, please visit: https://wiggleyourtoes.org/ Topics covered: The moments leading up to and following Jeff’s accidentJackie’s decision to stop and provide careNavigating sudden, life-changing injuryThe role of CaringBridge in keeping people connectedReconnecting after crisisRecovery, resilience, and supporting others after limb lossAdaptive sports, prosthetics, and finding new “firsts”Send us your comments. We'd love to hear from you.

    38 min

  4. TRAILER

    The Bridges Between Us Trailer Episode

    Hosted by Andy Thieman, The Bridges Between Us is a podcast from CaringBridge featuring honest conversations about caregiving, resilience, connection, and the ways people show up for one another during health journeys. Through real stories from patients, caregivers, family members, and supporters, each episode explores what it means to navigate uncertainty, find hope, and feel less alone when life changes unexpectedly. Send us your comments. We'd love to hear from you.

    2 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The Bridges Between Us shares stories of real families navigating traumatic health challenges - including cancer, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, Alzheimer's, and more. Through intimate, thoughtful conversations with caregivers, patients, healthcare experts, and advocates, the podcast explores what it truly means to navigate illness, recovery, loss, and everything in between. Each episode is a window into lived experience - how people found strength when they least expected it, how communities rallied around families in crisis, and how connection became a form of care all its own. These stories are raw, honest, and deeply human. At its heart, The Bridges Between Us is about exactly what its name suggests: the bridges we build between people, between isolation and community, between hardship and hope. Wherever you are on a health journey - as a caregiver, a patient, a supporter, or someone who simply wants to understand - this podcast invites you to listen slowly, reflect openly, and feel a little less alone.

Information

  • Creator
    CaringBridge
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Bridges Between Us
  • Show Website
    The Bridges Between Us