Andrea Gunning
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
I think that our childhood was this odd combination of idyllic and traumatic.
And traumatic to nobody's fault.
You know, our parents did their very best.
They were amazing people.
Their dad was a smart guy.
He went to Stanford undergrad in Georgetown Law.
He loved musicals and museums.
And before his breakdown, he was a constant source of conversation and laughter.
But that version of their father feels like a distant memory.
Because after his breakdown... He was just a very fragile and mentally ill person.
There were times when their dad seemed stable.
But then he'd enter a period where he'd lose touch with reality.
He would be hospitalized.
Saskia was just a baby when her dad got sick.
For her whole childhood, he was on disability and in and out of the hospital.
Her mom had to focus on managing her husband's care and keeping the family afloat financially.
As the youngest of four, Saskia was often forgotten.
Home didn't feel like home.
a place that I was even really wanted.