Mercedes Hesselroth

speaker

73 appearances 1 recordings 1 series first heard Jul 2026 last heard 14 Jul

Mercedes Hesselroth’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.

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The Moth · Choose Your Own Theme: The Moth Radio Hour · 14 Jul 2026 podcast

But I could tell that in this situation, my tata needed more love and support than la mama would have in order to keep going.

On March 12th, 2020, I boarded a plane to Texas, and while I was getting on the flight, New York City shut down.

What was supposed to be a week-long visit for my tata's 98th birthday turned into a surprise six weeks as air travel stopped and the world shifted under the pandemic.

All the gold stars that I had been chasing, like academics and internships and job opportunities, disappeared overnight.

My aunt was an essential worker and my uncle was trapped in Peru, unable to get a flight back home during the lockdown.

So I became my Tata's primary caregiver and companion during this time.

I would administer his medicine, remind him to wash his hands and translate the news from the outside world.

I was laser focused on him.

I would hug him and whisper these affirmations in his ear that he never believed.

I would say, .

Thank you for your eyes that view me this way.

He felt like it was just my opinion.

He'd say, And it's true.

Bonito is the word for pretty and for a type of fish.

But I just wanted him to accept my love and accept the compliment.

So one day I fired back, well, if you're a fish, then I'm a cow.

And it wasn't the first time that I had called myself that.

It was just one of many names and insults that I played on the tape in my head over and over in this swirl of negative self-talk.

But it was the first time that I had said that out loud.

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