A Mother on Her Fight Against Depression and Her Suicide Attempt

People often come to StoryCorps to record difficult conversations that they’ve never been able to have before. That’s how Linda Kwong and her daughter Emily came to our recording booth to talk about a tough time they were going through as a family.

In 2012, Emily Kwong was a college senior studying in New York. Just before finals, she received a disturbing phone call from her father. Her mother, Linda, who had been suffering from depression, had attempted suicide.

At StoryCorps, Linda and Emily talk for the first time about what happened that day.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for help.

Top Photo: Emily Kwong (left) and her mother, Linda, at their StoryCorps interview in 2013.

Originally aired August 24, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

From Fuks to Finn: Reflections on Some Hard Teenage Years

Allan Fuks is the son of Ukrainian immigrants. He grew up all over the place: in New York City and Northern California, before finally landing in suburban New Jersey. But no matter where he went, the taunting and bullying at school followed.

You see, Allan’s name is spelled a lot like the mother of all curse words.

He recently sat down with his middle school classmate, Spencer Katzman, to look back on their preteen years.

Top photo: Spencer Katzman and Allan Fuks at their StoryCorps interview in New York City. By Mia Warren for StoryCorps.

Middle photo: Allan Fuks in Fair Lawn, New Jersey at around age 13. Courtesy of Allan Fuks.

Originally aired June 8th, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Walter Reed Physical Therapists on the Profound Effects of Their Work

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, over 1600 men and women lost hands, arms, legs, and feet in battle.

For nearly a decade, Adele Levine and Etaine Raphael worked side by side to ensure those soldiers would be able to navigate life after their injuries. The two women were civilian physical therapists at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the Washington, D.C. area.

Both Etaine and Adele left Walter Reed in 2014. Today, Adele continues work as a physical therapist at a Maryland hospital, while Etaine has found new work as a preschool teacher.

Top photo: Etaine Raphael and Adele Levine at their StoryCorps interview in Washington, D.C. on September 19, 2016. 

Middle photo: Adele Levine at work with a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Courtesy of Kyla Dunleavy.

Bottom photo: Adele Levine and Etaine Raphael pose with a physical therapy patient, Rob Jones, who they helped rehabilitate. Jones lost both legs in Afghanistan but went on to compete in the Paralympics for rowing. Courtesy of Etaine Raphael.

Originally aired May 25, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

A Mother on Growing Up in the 1960s in a Large Black Suburb

More than half a million Americans have recorded StoryCorps interviews across the country. Often, participants use the opportunity to pass vital wisdom and stories from one generation to the next. That was the case in this StoryCorps recording from Norfolk, Virginia.

Charisse Spencer came to StoryCorps with her teenage son Myles to tell him what it was like growing up in the 1960s in Cavalier Manor, Virginia — at the time, one of the largest black suburbs in the country.

Bottom Photo: Charisse Spencer (right) with her sister Carol in 1967. Courtesy of Charisse Spencer.

Originally aired April 27, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

A Daughter Comes to Terms with Her Father’s Time in Prison

In this conversation recorded in Hartford, Connecticut, Abby Gagliardo sat down with her dad, Ralph, to talk about a confusing time for their family.

Abby knew her dad was sent to prison for larceny when she was a kid. But she didn’t understand why. 

When they came to StoryCorps, Ralph had been out of prison for five years, and Abby came to understand more fully what happened.

Photo: Ralph Gagliardo, holding his daughter, Abby, the day after she was born in 2000. Courtesy Ralph Gagliardo.

In 2018, Abby is 17 and Ralph has been sober since 2012. He is also pursuing his bachelor’s degree, with plans to attend law school.

Ralph and Abby’s conversation was recorded through the StoryCorps Justice Project, which preserves and amplifies the stories of people who have been directly impacted by mass incarceration. Original support for the Justice Project was provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge, #RethinkJails and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation.

Originally aired April, 20, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Reflections on Growing up the Son of a NYC Taxi Driver

Mohammad Ashraf Faridi immigrated from Pakistan to the United States in the 1980s. He settled in New York City, and his family joined him almost a decade later. By then, Mohammad was earning a living driving a cab.

At StoryCorps, his oldest son, Muhammad, talked about growing up as the son of a taxi driver.

Top photo: Mohammad Ashraf Faridi with his son, Muhammad Faridi, at their StoryCorps interview in New York City.
Bottom photo: A young Muhammad Faridi (right) with his sister and little brother while still in Pakistan. Courtesy of the Faridi family.

Originally aired March 16, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Friends and Climate Change Scientists on the Personal Cost of their Work

Dr. Lora Koenig and Dr. Zoe Courville first met over a decade ago in the middle of the Greenland ice sheet.

Their friendship formed while conducting research in some of the most remote corners of the world. As field researchers, they’re often away for weeks at a time, drilling ice cores and using ground-penetrating radar to study the impact of climate change.

Through the years, they’ve helped each other navigate the challenges of balancing their work and personal lives. They came to StoryCorps to talk about it.

Top photo: Dr. Zoe Courville and Dr. Lora Koenig at their StoryCorps interview in New Orleans, Louisiana in December 2017.

Middle photo: Dr. Zoe Courville taking snow density measurements in the field. Courtesy of Robin Davies.

Bottom photo: Dr. Lora Koenig with her son, Seelye, on a rare visit to the Russell Glacier in Greenland. Courtesy of Marilyn Koenig.

This interview was recorded in partnership with the American Geophysical Union, the world’s largest organization of Earth and space scientists.

Originally aired March 9, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Michelle Obama Portraitist Amy Sherald on Her Hustle to Succeed

Baltimore artist Amy Sherald unveiled her rendering of Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery on February 12, 2018.

Sherald likes to warn people that the artist’s path is not for the faint of heart.

In 2004, Sherald was training for a triathlon when she was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. Then, in the fall of 2012, she stopped at Rite Aid on the on the way to her studio. She blacked out and was rushed to the hospital. Her heart functioning had dropped to just 5 percent. She needed a transplant.

At StoryCorps, Sherald told her friend Elise Pepple how her failing heart pushed her to succeed as an artist.

Top photo: Amy Sherald (right) presents her portrait of Michelle Obama to the First Lady. Courtesy of Saul Loeb / Getty Images.

Middle photo: Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

Bottom photo: Amy Sherald with her friend Elise Pepple. Courtesy of Naomi Blech / StoryCorps.

A Mother on Surviving the Tet Offensive and Escaping from Vietnam

On January 31, 1968, Lan Cao’s family was living just outside of Saigon, getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year of Tet. Instead, her father — a military commander — had to rush off to war.

The North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong had launched a surprise attack on her city and over one hundred other South Vietnamese locations. This became known as the Tet Offensive, and was one of the biggest military campaigns of the Vietnam War, which led to a decline in public support in the United States.

Lan was 7 years old. She and her family would eventually resettle in the US. Lan graduated magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke and earned a law degree from Yale. She’s now a professor of international economics law and lives in California.

At StoryCorps, Lan sat down with her teenage daughter, Harlan Van Cao. Harlan was 12 at the time of their interview — just a year shy of the age Lan was when she arrived in the United States. Lan shared what it was like to live under siege before rebuilding her life in America.

Top photo: Harlan Van Cao and her mother Lan Cao at their StoryCorps interview in Westminster, California. 

Bottom photo: Lan Cao’s passport from the Republic of Vietnam, also known as South Vietnam. Courtesy of Lan Cao.

This interview came through the First Days Story Project, recorded in partnership with WGBH and PBS American Experience.

Originally aired February 2, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Doctors on Their Groundbreaking Multigenerational Passion for Medicine

Dr. Jenna Lester comes from a family of African American women who have dedicated their lives to medicine. Her grandmother, Ruby Brangman, became a nurse practitioner during the 1970s. At that time, Ruby was one of the first black women in her profession in New York state.

A generation later, Jenna’s mother, Sharon Brangman, became a doctor. Sharon says it was her own mother’s determination that set her on that path.

At StoryCorps in New York City, Jenna and Sharon sat down to reflect on their family’s legacy.

Top photo: Sharon Brangman and Jenna Lester at their StoryCorps interview in New York City.

Bottom photo: Sharon Brangman, Ruby Brangman, and Jenna Lester in 1988, when Jenna was three months old. Courtesy of the Brangman family.

Originally aired January 26, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.