{"podcast":{"title":"Conversations","slug":"conversations-320217","podcast_index_feed_id":320217,"rss_url":"https://www.abc.net.au/feeds/7711104/podcast.xml","website_url":"https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/","image_url":"https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/9419a7d446ad3f4620983df5d8d048f1.jpg?src","author":"ABC Australia","episode_count":2000,"summary":"Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may have heard about, but never met. Journey into their world, joining them on epic adventures to unfamiliar places, back in time to wild moments of history, and into their deepest memories, to be moved by personal stories of resilience and redemption. Hosted by Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, Conversations is the ABC's most popular long-form interview program. Every day we explore the vast tapestry of human experience, weaving together narratives from history, science, art, and personal storytelling. Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia’s most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more at the Conversations website.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-24T00:20:44.125501+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/conversations-320217"},"episode":{"title":"Encore: My beloved husband's path to Voluntary Assisted Dying","slug":"encore-my-beloved-husband-s-path-to-voluntary-assisted-dying","published_at":"2026-08-27T01:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/conversations-320217/encore-my-beloved-husband-s-path-to-voluntary-assisted-dying","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/conversations-320217","url":"https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/pauline-mcgrath-husband-death-brain-tumour-vad/107067740","audio_url":"https://mediacore-live-production.akamaized.net/audio/02/nt/Z/e4.mp3","summary":"After Pauline McGrath's husband David was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he chose to use Voluntary Assisted Dying. Pauline supported him through the journey as he took the steps to end his life.A few years ago, Pauline came home from work and found the lights on and the dog already fed. This was something which had never happened in her 30-year marriage to David, a director of paediatric medicine at Queensland Children's Hospital. Straight away, Pauline asked David, \"Who has died?\" Her beloved husband told her he had a brain tumour, and that voluntary assisted dying was going to be an option for Queenslanders in six months. This moment began a heartbreaking but ultimately empowering path for David, Pauline and their family. David's wish was for Pauline to speak openly about their family experience. So that's what she's been doing while grieving her husband, supporting her two daughters, and embarking on the next chapter of her own life. Content warning: this episode of Conversations contains discussion of death and dying. Further information Help and support is always available. Call Lifeline on 131114 - they are available 24 hours a day. Since Sarah spoke with Pauline in 2024, the family has welcomed a grandchild, baby Margot. This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison. It explores death, dying, brain tumour, cancer, medical treatment, medical diagnosis, family, paediatric medicine, marriage, love, children, voluntary assisted dying, medical autonomy, grief, advocacy, medical profession. To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, art…","meta_description":"After Pauline McGrath's husband David was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he chose to use Voluntary Assisted Dying. Pauline supported him through the jour…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3120,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/conversations-320217/episodes/encore-my-beloved-husband-s-path-to-voluntary-assisted-dying/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/conversations-320217/encore-my-beloved-husband-s-path-to-voluntary-assisted-dying.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}