Friday May 23, 2025

EP08: Rachel Farrell: “In the Wake of Sudden Loss: Grief and the Gift of Genetic Clarity”

Grief doesn’t require firsthand experience to be met with compassion and clinical care, and Rachel Farrell proves it.

Rachel is a pediatric genetic counselor who works with families facing the sudden death of a child or parent due to inherited cardiovascular diseases. Her role sits at the intersection of healthcare and heartbreak, offering genetic testing that may explain what happened, while providing the kind of emotional support that grieving families often don’t know they need until they have it.

What does it look like to guide a family through genetic testing after tragedy? How do you deliver answers that bring both clarity and more questions? And what happens when there is no clear answer at all?

Rachel shares how her work goes far beyond lab results. She talks about the quiet moments with parents, the clinical decisions that carry emotional weight, and the importance of listening more than speaking. She also reflects on what she’s learned from families, about love, about legacy, and about the small moments that matter most.

This conversation is a moving reminder of what healthcare can be when emotional presence is treated as essential, and why family guidance matters just as much as medical expertise when everything else has fallen apart.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Rachel Farrell

04:04 Grief and Genetic Counseling

06:01 What Genetic Testing Can Reveal

12:57 Cost and Access in Genetic Healthcare

16:42 Rachel’s Personal Relationship with Grief

33:58 What Chaplaincy Taught Her About Dying

39:06 Why Small Moments Matter

42:14 How to Support the Bereaved

Links

SADS: https://sads.org/get-involved/awareness/sudden-death-response-plan/

Connect with Rachel Farrell: