Born And Raised Podcast: Love Lives On After Children Lose Their Immigrant Parents

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Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Hosts Alisha Sawhney and Al Donato bid farewell to listeners in the season finale of “Born And Raised: Love.”

The podcast ends its six-part series with stories reflecting on love, immigration, and loss: A bus route leads to a timeless romance, Vivian feels the pain of distance after coming out, and Ishani shares how her mom made holidays like Diwali so special.

Read a transcript of the episode here.

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Meet the guests:

Phill Dwight Morgan and Dawn Morgan took us on a ride through North York, Ont., to share the sweet story of how Dawn met Phill's father for the first time.

Phill Dwight Morgan grew up with a vague idea of how his parents met: a chance encounter on the 52 Leslie, a TTC bus route in North York, Ont. He takes his mom, Dawn, and the podcast team on that very same bus route to learn more about their love story; how it actually played out and what Dawn misses about Phill’s dad Emerson, who passed away 20 years ago.

For second-generation Canadians like Vivian, distance isn't always a bad thing; sometimes, time away from family members can lead to improved bonds.

When Vivian Kendal-Kong experienced prejudice after coming out as gay, she pulled away from her family and her faith. While the church was where Vivian’s family found refuge when they immigrated from Hong Kong, it wasn’t a safe space for Vivian to be her most authentic self. It took distance from her parents and discovering a new way to worship with her wife to bring Vivian back to her homes.

As a kid, journalist Ishani Nath loved celebrating Divali. After all, it was helmed by her mother, the queen of throwing a good party.

Ishani’s mom really tried to instil Indian pride in her daughter: ceremonial head shavings, enrolling her in Hindi school, the works! And her mom loved organizing extravagant Diwali parties. Even after she was diagnosed with lung cancer, Ishani’s mom never stopped living life to the fullest. Following her passing, Ishani and her family try to continue her legacy by putting a special spin on it.