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When Advocacy Becomes a Lifeline: A Conversation with Melissa Winger

Episode Recap: Life Unscripted Podcast with Rosabel

Author Melissa Winger joins the Life Unscripted Podcast to share her journey as a mother advocating for her son with complex medical needs. In this powerful episode, she reveals the emotional toll of navigating a broken healthcare system—and why her story is a call to action for all of us.

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🩺 Real Stories, Real Impact

In a profoundly moving episode of The Life Unscripted Podcast with Rosabel, I interviewed Melissa Winger, a mother, advocate, and author of Who Cares? The Real Patient Experience. Melissa’s story is a testament to what it means to advocate not just with passion but with resilience—through heartbreak, finterviewednd moments of isolation that many families quietly endure.

Melissa became a mom at 18, stepping into a world of medical unknowns when her son was born with rare genetic conditions that went undiagnosed for months. From being dismissed by ER staff to navigating a maze of home health agencies, she quickly realized that families like hers aren’t just underserved—they're often unheard.

“Why am I always having to defend my child’s existence?” she asked. A question no parent should ever have to voice.

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🎙 What We Talked About

In our conversation, Melissa opened up about:

• The emotional toll of long-term medical caregiving and advocacy.

• What’s broken in the healthcare system—and how poor reimbursement and high burnout drive providers and families alike to the brink.

• How can we advocate without becoming adversarial, and why does a partnership approach often yield better care?

• Moments of light, like when a single pediatrician simply said, “You’re doing a great job.” Those words changed everything.

Melissa’s story goes beyond one family—it’s a lens into the lives of thousands navigating fragmented care systems while trying to live fully and love deeply.

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📖 About Who Cares?

Melissa’s book isn’t just her story—it’s an exposé on the structural failures of our healthcare system, backed by deep research. Each chapter begins with a personal experience and evolves into a broader discussion about systems like home care, patient safety, and the la deep-researchedg-term impact of inaccessible or dismissive healthcare.

If you’re a caregiver, a provider, a policymaker—or simply someone who wants to understand what genuine patient-centered care should look like—this book is for you.

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🎧 Want More?

Melissa’s audiobook version of Who Cares? is coming May 2025—perfect for those who prefer to listen while driving, walking, or reflecting. And if you haven’t yet...

👉 Visit her website: www.whocaresbooks.com
👉 Follow her on social media: Links available on her site
👉 Reach out: Melissa welcomes conversations and opportunities to advocate for patient-centered change.

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🔔 Subscribe and Stay Connected

If Melissa’s story inspired you, please subscribe to The Life Unscripted Podcast with Rosabel. Each episode features raw, honest, and relatable conversations that matter.

🌟 Leave a review — It helps amplify the stories that too often go untold.
📬 Send feedback or share your story — We’d love to hear from you.

Together, we can build a world where empathy, advocacy, and care are the norm—not the exception.

Until next time,
—Rosabel

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