The Homecoming Nobody Saw Coming · Home, Hospitals and the Story I Couldn't Tell
In this deeply personal episode, Doreen Cumberford interviews Sarah Deschamps, author of I Couldn't Tell You. Sarah Deschamps shares the harrowing and ultimately hopeful story of her family’s move from Tokyo back to Minnesota, a journey marked by her daughter's complex medical challenges and the mental health struggles entwined with repatriation. This conversation illuminates the hidden traumas of re-entry, caregiver PTSD, and the transformative power of storytelling. Key Themes Repatriation ...
Key Takeaways
- Sarah Deschamps joins Doreen Cumberford on Nomadic Diaries to discuss the harrowing yet hopeful realities of moving from Tokyo back to Minnesota.
- Repatriation often brings unexpected medical and emotional crises, such as navigating a child's complex surgeries immediately upon returning to the United States.
- Caregiver PTSD, OCD, and ADHD are frequently hidden struggles that global nomads face during high-stress transitions and re-entry.
- Building a new tribe and finding a sense of belonging in a home country that feels foreign requires immense resilience.
- Sharing your personal journey through storytelling is a critical tool for individual healing and helping others feel less alone in their expat experiences.
In this deeply personal episode, Doreen Cumberford interviews Sarah Deschamps, author of I Couldn't Tell You. Sarah Deschamps shares the harrowing and ultimately hopeful story of her family’s move from Tokyo back to Minnesota, a journey marked by her daughter's complex medical challenges and the mental health struggles entwined with repatriation. This conversation illuminates the hidden traumas of re-entry, caregiver PTSD, and the transformative power of storytelling.
Key Themes
- Repatriation Challenges: Navigating family transition, loss, and the complexities of 'returning home'.
- Invisible Struggles: Living through—and speaking about—mental health issues (ADHD, OCD, PTSD) in the expat and repat context.
- Caregiving Trauma: The unspoken weight carried by parents facing a child’s chronic medical issues across borders.
- Finding and Building Community: How identity, belonging, and tribe shift for expats in transition.
- Power of Storytelling: Why sharing your experience matters for personal and collective healing.
Notable Moments
- Sarah Deschamps's Origin Story: From moving to Tokyo with a toddler and giving birth in a foreign language hospital to her child’s life-changing diagnosis 01:25.
- Reentry and Medical Crisis: The unforeseen spiral as their daughter requires immediate surgery upon returning to the US, and the emotional fallout 12:06.
- Caregiver PTSD and Mental Health: Sarah Deschamps opens up about her struggles with OCD and PTSD, discovering the depth of her trauma only years after repatriation 29:04.
- The Importance of Telling Your Story: Why Sarah Deschamps says it’s “critical that you find a way to tell your story”—for your own healing and for others who witness it 40:21.
- The Search for Tribe: How ‘finding your people’ is both necessary and difficult when returning from life abroad 25:36.
Resources & Links
- Sarah Deschamps's Book: I Couldn't Tell You (and her first memoir about Japan)—available at sarahdeshant.com 43:45.
- Pull Through Network: Support for families with children facing anorectal malformation and similar medical journeys.
- Blog & Media Appearances: Follow Sarah Deschamps and her evolving story at sarahdeshant.com.
Pearl of Wisdom
"Make sure you tell your own story. It’s worth it to all the people who will have the experience of listening to your own life and what you’ve done."
— Sarah Deschamps 44:35
Connect
- Find Sarah Deschamps & her books: https://sarahdeschamps.com
- Host: Doreen Cumberford
If you or someone you know is navigating the challenges of expat life, repatriation, or complex family transitions, this episode is a must-listen for hope, guidance, and solidarity.
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You can map the move. You cannot map the metamorphosis. Nomadic Diaries explores the interior journey of expat life — the belonging, the identity shifts, the repatriation, and everything that travels with you that can't be packed in a suitcase. This episode may be part of our Re-Entry Series (30 episodes on coming home) or The Belonging Project (29 episodes on belonging across cultures). Browse the full catalog at nomadicdiariespodcast.com and please share or leave a review if this episode resonated.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sarah Deschamps and what is her book about?
Sarah Deschamps is an author and expat who wrote 'I Couldn't Tell You', a memoir detailing her family's transition from Tokyo back to Minnesota amidst severe medical challenges and repatriation trauma.
How does repatriation impact mental health according to Sarah Deschamps?
Repatriation can trigger invisible struggles like caregiver PTSD, OCD, and anxiety, often surfacing years after the physical move as families process the accumulated trauma of cross-cultural living and medical crises.
What are some of the hidden challenges of moving back to your home country?
Moving home often involves reverse culture shock, navigating unfamiliar healthcare systems for children with chronic conditions, and the difficulty of finding your tribe after years spent abroad.
Why is storytelling important for expats and repatriates?
Sharing your unique cross-cultural story fosters personal healing and provides vital solidarity and guidance for others navigating similar global transitions and identity shifts.