S2E35: Soraya's Story Part One

like a rug, can completely change how a space feels. And that's why I love ruggable. I recently added one of their Persian rugs in our living room. It's a beautiful kind of warm pastel pink that softens and totally pulls together the space. And there were so many styles to choose from, from boho and modern and vintage, and you can filter by size, by color, by material, by designer. And what I love is that they aren't just beautiful and soft, but they're stain resistant

for everyday spills and machine washable, making them so easy to clean. And it's especially awesome for our life, because we have two young kids, two dogs and two cats. The built-in non-stick backing makes sure that even when everyone is running around, there's no slipping. They really are designed led and performance built. Refresh your home at ruggable.com. Get 10% off your first order, site wide with promo code [email protected]. That's r-u-g-g-a-b-l-e.com and use code tapes that check out.

So if you're looking to refresh your space, I really recommend checking them out. I'm someone who's

always cold and always layering, but not at night. At night I'm getting super hot and I often

“wake up kicking off the covers or opening windows, and I honestly didn't realize how much that”

was affecting my sleep until I started using the chili pad 2.0 by sleeping. It's basically like a thermostat for your bed that actively cools or warms using water, not just blowing air around like a fan, and because each side of the bed can be set separately, I can get to sleep the way I want, and I love that it works with your existing mattress, and it's super quiet, and it automatically turns on when you get into bed. One thing I didn't expect is how much

better I sleep when my temperature stays consistent throughout the night. I used to wake up constantly, and even if I technically sub-8 hours, I didn't feel rested. With the chili pad, my body stays at a steady temperature all night, so I'm not waking up over and over without realizing it. Since using it, I fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling more rested. No subscriptions or anything like that. You just buy it and you own it. Visit www.sleep.me/telepathy

to get up to $255 off your chili pad 2.0 with code to Lepathy. This special offer is available for the telepathy tapes listeners, and only for a limited time. Order today with free shipping, and try it out for 30 days. You can return it for free if you don't like it with their sleep trial.

Visit www.sleep.seleep.me/telepathy, and never wake up hot and tired again.

Hi everyone, I'm Kai Dickens and welcome to the Talk Tracks, brought to you weekly by TTT Media. In this series, we explore the threads that weave together our understanding of reality. Science, spirituality, consciousness, and even unexplained phenomena, because every era has ideas once dismissed as impossible until someone was willing to investigate them

“seriously. And on this show, we do just that. If you want to see our incredible guests in person,”

we have a video version of this episode on the telepathy tapes YouTube page. Today, we have Tasha, and Safi, and their daughter Saraya. Saraya is a proud disability advocate, and for most of her life, she's been struggling through an undagnosed condition. It's been very difficult for their family,

and today we're going to talk about their journey. And Saraya is incredible experiences with the

other side in the non-physical world that has really changed what her family believes is possible. So right now, on the couch, we have Tasha and Saraya, and later we'll bring in Safi, Saraya's dad. This is your moment to say whatever you want to the world. So, so why don't we first start by just introducing both of you? For you, like, like, what grade are you wearing? How old you are, where you live, where you're from, who's in your family, just a quick intro.

“Okay. My name is Saraya, and I am 13 years old, and I'm in what grade?”

You're an eighth grade. eighth grade. Sorry, forget what grade I'm in, that's okay. And I'm Tasha, Saraya's mom. I'm a mom to three girls, so Saraya's a middle sister. She's got a older sister who's 16, a younger sister who's 11. I am also a pediatrician and book author. And your husband's a doctor as well, correct? Yes, he is. orthopedic cancer, Jen. Yes. Wow. And when you walked in today, then let me restate that.

When you rolled in today, you had a very cool sign on the back of your wheelchair. Can you tell me what your sign said and why you put it there? Okay, so since I have, like, social anxiety and people stare, or they say, "Look, that's wheelchair." My, um, signs like if you have any questions about, like, my disability, or maybe you'll cheer, ask me, and, like, I've been asked those questions, and so I was, like, like, I just didn't know what to go out of the car because of social

anxiety, and staring, and kind of stuff that made me kind of think that. And I was, like,

because I just can't do it." I just can't. I have some things I did too. I think a lot of us do,

“right? That's hard being a new place or new people. Definitely. Because, like, I'm quite sometimes”

and then I talk a lot and just got into puns. Yeah, awesome. So let's talk a little bit about your history. Like, maybe Tasha tells about when Saraya was born. Yes. And maybe we can talk a little bit about, like, your, your journey, like, growing up, what you wanted to be, you know, what you wanted to do, like, what your dreams were, and then how, how and when the diagnosis came into play, and how that affected you and your family. Yes, and I can tell some of the history and, um,

just for those that are listening, sometimes it takes a lot for Saraya to talk and ask. Yeah,

we're going to go back and forth. Yes. Yes. And it is never to cut Saraya off. But her mouth

sometimes gets tired just from talking. And so when she was born, we actually were not aware that she was going to have any medical issues or any additional needs. But when she was born, she was born smaller than we expected. And so that was a surprise. Mostly because I'm a pediatrician and so I felt pretty hyper vigilant about all the things that I was putting into my body, everything, and so when she was born smaller than her sister, it raised a little bit of a concern

for me. It was very much quickly reassured that it was, you know, just in my head, just overthinking things. And, um, I also felt like when I breastfed that she got tired really easily. And again, it was kind of quickly reassured you just graduated or overthinking this. She's fine. Fast forward to the two-month appointment of her well-child visit. I could not get her to take a bottle and I had to go back to work full-time. And I brought this up to the pediatrician. And at that

time, she's like, you're just so good at breastfeeding. She's not going to starve herself

“when you have to take her to daycare. So fast forward, four months of appointment. Now, I've been”

back at work for a month. And my 10-hour work days, she's being forced fed one ounce by the daycare workers. And I'm nursing her throughout the night. We get to the appointment. And she is what we call failure to thrive. She is not gaining weight. And I am feeling like many mothers. Like, I'm not doing enough, and this is my fault. And so I'm told. And what month check-up was this? 4 months. Go ahead and feed your solid food. And as a pediatrician, you know, we say you can give food at 4

months. But I felt like she wasn't like strong enough and wasn't ready. But at that point, you just was like, do what you're, what you're told. I surrendered and I'm like fine. I will do it. And so we gave her solid food. I don't know what about it. Made me want to record it. It's almost like I knew it wasn't going to go well. And I recorded it. And she was sweating. And she started

“making this noise like, and that noise is actually called strider. And at that point, it was my”

like stopping point where I recorded it. I sent it to the pediatrician. And I said, I want a swallow study ordered. Granite had no idea what I was looking for. But I just like knew that like there was something. I was like, I know there's something going on. And at five months, when she did the swallow study, it was shown that she was aspirating, which just means that it's going down into her lungs versus her stomach. That and itself led to a lot of red flags. Because now we have a child

that's not gaining weight, that is sweating with feeds, feeding difficulties, and aspirating. And it sets off a whole bunch of what diagnosis is this. So it went from nobody being concerned to we actually think she has some rare condition that could actually shorten her life. And the

first thing they thought it was was something called spiderman muscular atrophy, which at that time

there was not a cure for. And so they were actually preparing us that she would pass away in the first year of life. And we were stationed out in Virginia at that time. My husband's former military, and he had just gotten his orders to serve in Afghanistan. And so we were meeting with genetic counselors, meeting with everybody like, okay, are you going to try to have another child if Siara passes away. And all these questions like we went from nothing to everything. And we got

in for a lot of testing, the SMA testing was negative. Then they looked for other diseases like adrenal look at dystrophy, rets syndrome, cellweggers, disease, disorders of neurotransmitters, all of these things that I had briefly learned about from my board exams that I knew were all bad. And they were all negative, which was great. However, as two physicians trying to navigate life, we wanted to really try to fix this. And it became very evident after a three-year journey of

looking for every type of testing that was coming back in conclusive that we were likely not going to have an answer. But even more so than not having a diagnosis, realizing that this wasn't going

at that time because we knew every system of her body was impacted. But she was making enough progress where we had no signs that her life was going to be limited. But we also had no signs that this was going away. How was she eating at that time? Not to cut you off. No, she ended up getting a G-tube at seven months of age and she still has one today. So, she, um, this is a part of her that we absolutely love the G-tube in the sense of its kept her alive. Like literally everyone

asking me like, can you eat food? Yes, I can eat food. Yeah, I think a lot of times it's almost like the wheelchair where people see unit wheelchair and they assume that you cannot walk if you

“have a wheelchair and they see you with the G-tube that you must not be able to eat at all.”

Where there's a, there's a nice mix. So up until age three, we had gone on this Odyssey and then we actually got to a place of acceptance where, alright, she has something. But she's doing well. It's time to create some new dreams and we ended up moving to Cincinnati from where we were stationed in Virginia because they have one of the best children's hospitals and it's actually where I train for my residency. And so is that nice comfort of being back in the Midwest? Yes. And we knew that

they were used to seeing the zebra. And what I mean by that is the rare we wanted to be surrounded by people that were interested in cutting-edge science research therapies and they're we landed and we planned on this life where Sriap may live with us forever and or she may not or she may work at the mall. We knew that she would do something in customer service. You wanted to do lots of things I feel. Yeah, and my doctor did say like by might be living for a long time. Yeah, we, we told

that stays that way. Yes, the rest of my life, but yes, we never know. I expect it's going to

“come in. So Sriap, what do you want to be when you grow up? Okay, I think it was a like I was kind”

of more of the figuring out what I want, what, what, what do I, what's my list like lifestyle? And I was like, well, what's Steve? This is like a lot of jobs. I was thinking like maybe I should have three jobs, maybe. That's pretty typical in today's society. I was like, you know what? Let's just do something because I just, I like to be that inhibition's kind of person. I was like, you know what? Name up your hair stylist. And I will be a singer. And then I was just like kind of

figuring out everything I think, but other one is make up artists. Yeah, I think those were the

three ones I wanted to do. And like I always talk about my dream lifestyle, like we were talking

“about that in the car. Yeah. About like, cool what cars do I want or just something like that?”

Yeah, we learned that she wants a motorcycle. And I, or Jeep. And how are you doing now? I think it's definitely a overrun and definitely challenging in my physical life because I know it was not expecting what's going to, what was happening in my health kind of like lifestyle. And I, I don't know what's going to look like, but hopefully it's good. How do you feel in your body during the day? Do you feel discomfort? Okay, so, and you can be honest, yeah, because it's like,

also this year, too. I think sometimes my muscle is physically tight. Sometimes I can feel it sometimes I don't. But, um, usually I'm tired, wiped, but definitely talking a lot in on my screen a lot. Like, she used to be out and about, she used to be walking and moving a lot. Yeah, I used to go outside and do kids stuff. Sometimes when a body starts to feel physically restrained or limited, other things open up for us that are more in the spiritual realm or mental realm. Has any of

that happened for you? I, deaf, I do have spirituality, um, for pretty, like, age. And I think I told my parents, like, hey, I see spirits or anything like that. Um, I may experience it still now, more often, and it's common in our personal family. But, like, sometimes we will see, like, light,

soar, like, other things that are so called, like, miracles. And Tasha, when was the first time

first few? Because I, I was not ready to tell them quite yet, but when I was ready,

I was, like, hey, I have spirituality and I have told you guys that. What do you mean by

“I have spirituality? So, I call it spirituality because, like, I think it's hard for you to name”

one of this and I think that people call it different thing. Yeah, people can call it, like, energies, people can just like, I think every people who have spirituality experience it way differently, me is more, I'm more in that unique kind of opponent and, like, I can, like, I don't see what they're wearing, but I can hear them, I can hear footsteps or air moving back and forth. And that happens a lot with me. And it's part of my life that I personally was not expecting. And,

I think a lot of, like, I see, like, my family members or I would see, like, my dad's friends or my dad's, my mom's uncle that used to party a lot. And, my mom's, like, that's a different story. That's a whole different story, the story behind that. Yeah, well, that's all sort of, yeah, that.

Some are always makes me rethink about what I'm reaching for, because I want, like,

your fabrics pieces, I feel good the moment you put them on that aren't going to wrinkle like crazy.

“And that's why I just love quince. They focus on high quality essentials, like breathable linen”

and soft organic cotton and washable silk, but it doesn't have that luxury markup. It's really that rare balance that I think everyone looks for, where everything feels elevated, but still easy and it's all affordable. Quince has beautiful everyday pieces, like, 100% European linen pants and dresses and tops, and their denim is soft and easy to wear, and their organic cotton sweaters are perfect for layering on cool summer nights, which is a real thing in California.

And the style start at $32, and the big thing to me is that Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middleman. So you're paying for quality, not brand markup. I love their talent leather triple compartment, weekend or bag. It is beautiful and has zippers, and it looks so luxurious when just going away for the weekend. It's so good. And lately, I've been rocking the 100% European linen pants and the matching 100% European linen tank, and it's just a

awesome classic summer uniform that you can add a jacket or sweater to, it's light, and it's breathable, and I can wear it to work or to dinner. So elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quince.com/tapes for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's QU-I-N-C-E.com/tapes for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com/tapes. Hey, everyone, it's Kai, and this is Ru. And Ru has become obsessed

with our little blanket, not just at home, but also at work. And it's become a little bit of a

“problem in our house in the best way, because you know that moment at the end of the day when you”

finalize it down and turn on whatever comfort show you're watching, and you grab your favorite blanket. Well, the second I pull out my little blanket, the dogs are obsessed with it. Like immediately, it's not even mine anymore. And honestly, I get it. I mean, it's insanely soft. It has this looks faux fur that's so cozy, but because pets everywhere are apparently stealing low-level blankets, low-la now is offering a pet collection, including the softest pet beds and

pads. Their pet beds have that same signature softness with orthopedic foam bases to support their

joints, and the cover is removable and machine washable, which is essential. So get your pets

their own cozy little cloud, and maybe, finally, you get your low-level blanket back. For a limited time, our listeners get 40% off, select low-level blanket products with code tapes at checkout. Just head to low-levelenkids.com and use code tapes to get 40% off your order. After you purchase, they'll ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and let them know we sent you. Wrap yourself in luxury with low-level blankets. I've talked before about why I love one skin,

but what keeps standing out is that it doesn't feel like skincare hype. It feels like real science. One skin was created by long-gevity researchers who wanted to target skin aging at the source, instead of just trying to cover it up. That research led to OS1. One skin's proprietary peptide, the targets damaged, senescent, zombie cells, which contribute to visible aging like fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity. For me, I love that it fits so easy into my routine.

And over time, my skin just feels healthier, smoother, and more supported. And for summer, there's face SPF gives you mineral sun protection while still delivering the skincare benefits of OS1. Born from over a decade of longevity research, one skin's OS1 peptide is proven to target the visible signs of aging. Helping you unlock your healthiest skin now and as you age. For limited time, try one skin with 15% off using code tapes at one skin.co/tapes. That's 15% off

one skin.co with code tapes. After you purchase, they'll ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you.

“When did you start seeing was it just spirits or angels and energy and orbs?”

What's the palette of what you would see? I think I would see a person like, I definitely have example. I was telling my mom this name, and we searched it, and it was a real person that was giving heart to another woman, but on there, they didn't really say how she died. But I think she had a heart condition, and so that was really unexpected. I think she was able to give us a name,

a first name and a last name. Yes, of somebody that she had connected with. And then I looked up the

name and there was an article of this teen female who she had passed away and her family had donated her heart to another woman. And so that really impacted us here. That means I was not expecting

“that. Okay, okay, and that was your new friend for a while. And yeah, and I still see it in my house or”

anywhere or like anyone who had a person passed away, I would automatically could tell what they're saying, or I would get a number or when she says automatically, she can do it all the time. Like I can ask her about anybody and she can take a second to try to connect. Yeah, and there has been times where she's like know that person, whoa, so it's not like it's not just what Sarai wants to do, and I'm starting to learn more as she shares in the way that Sarai shares. But she

from it sounds like it is just open. So like when she's in our house, she says, oh, there's so many

that are here. And I always say, if you're overwhelmed, I hear, and I'm trying to learn so I can like

guide her that you can like close that off if it's over stimulated. She's like, nope, I don't mind it.

“And then yeah, I still do it. I will say the first time that my husband and I”

realized that there is some sort of connection with Sarai to the other side was actually when she was a baby. And this was in a moment of my pure most aspiration. She was an infant and when she was an infant, she would not sleep. And we would have to to feed her every three hours, but she had reflux. So then she would throw up. Then we would have to look at how much she threw up and try again through her G tube and hold her upright for another hour. And so the whole process of feeding her

every three hours was about an hour and a half. And I could not get her to calm down and it was my turn. And I was sobbing, she was sobbing and I literally was praying and saying, God, I cannot do this anymore. Like, I cannot, I don't have it in me to do this. Like I people say, God doesn't give you what you can't handle. And I'm like, I can't do, I can't do this. And I had texted my husband and I'm like, I know it's not your turn. Can you tag me out? I just, I just can't. And so he came and then he had put

Sari down even though she was crying to check on me. And so she's crying in her room. We've got the baby monitor on. And I'm sobbing and I'm like, I'm at my wood's end. I'm not strong anymore. I can't do this. And I look at the camera and there is this white light that is stroking Sariah while she is calming down. And it was there for hours calming her down. Coming her down. Yeah. And we recorded this.

This is make me cry. I've never know. I liked this in my life. I, I, I, I literally, I am being a little bit

more censored of the feelings that I had at that moment of my desperation of, like, really wanting to give up. I will say, yeah, really asking for help, but then also really truly leaving that there was no help. And so like, it was that kind of desperation. This wasn't like a bad day. This was

our jobs, trying to keep up with this trajectory of life that we thought was going to be our life.

“And so at that moment, we felt like that moment was so sacred that we recorded it, but only showed”

her grandparents. And both sides of grandparents are very devout in their faith. And so they were like, this is a great sign, like, just take it for what it is. And we also are very protective of how we share this information, which is why we love what you do in the sense of, like, not to exploit this. This is something beautiful that I do think all of us have the ability, or maybe not, maybe those that are, it depends. Yeah, I guess I should ask Raya. She has some ideas on this.

Yeah. But that was the first time. When she started talking, she would talk about somebody that was

with her. And so we always kind of joke that it was like her imaginary friend. And when I would say,

like, oh, how long has this person with you? And she's like, oh, they're with me when I sleep. They as they do, they go to school with you. She's like, yeah. And I'm like, well, how long have they been with you? She's like, since I was inside of your belly. And so then it was kind of like, okay,

“she might be right. Like, I, I never doubt her. Like, I think that's the other thing is I never”

challenge. I just keep it open and around that as it is. I take it as it is. And in that same time, you know, her older sister would would talk about bright lights that she would see. And then there was a time where her older sister stopped talking about it. And she was like, I don't see

him anymore. I wish I could. And so there was always something about what still doesn't talk about it.

Yeah, I, you know, what is it about being younger, being more fearless, being more unfiltered, and then as she got older, it's not that she would tell us much, but there was a time where we're sitting at the table. And I have this uncle that's Ryan never met. He actually died when I was 12. He is the best. I will start by saying that he was like a father to me. So my parents were divorced. And my mom was a single mom and she moved in with her brother, which is the sunkel. So he was like a dad.

And he was so kind and every night he would put me to bed and he would say, all right, well, everybody sleep and I'm going to come wake you up. You and me are going to go party. We're going to party all night or all everybody else is sleeping. Yeah, this is who we're talking about. Yes. And he also was a chain smoker in the 80s and just smoked nonstop. And so we're sitting at the table one day. And again, it's right, doesn't really know about the sunkel or any stories about him,

other than I hadn't, I had uncles that have passed away. So she's sitting there and she's like,

mom, and she starts doing this movement with her hands, which I've never seen her do. She's like

your uncle. I'm like, it's smoking. Yes, right, but I didn't know what she was doing. She's like, your uncle is so kind and funny. And I'm like, which uncle? And then she's like, you know, the one that passed away on your mom's side. And I'm still like there's more than one. And she's still doing this. She's like, the one that smoked all the time. And I was like, oh my god, I know exactly who you're talking about. And I said, okay, well, what's he saying? And she's like, he's the partier.

And that word is our word. And when my husband's one of his best friends had passed away, this was a a navy colleague. She really gave some speeches from him, but it was like, and like visible letters. Yeah, like she, yeah, she would talk like how he was talking, although it would be her voice. But it's almost like the language that she would use was so much more fluent than what she is capable of with her speech delays. She would say like, hey, brother, I'm really proud of you.

Like, you've got a good life with this family. I'm really proud of the surge in that you've become. And these are things that she doesn't even have context of their relationship. You know, they might be like one liners, but they, they were meaningful. And so that really hit me where

“then I was like, oh, can you do that? What did you mean by do that? Like, can you connect with people?”

Like, can you, and she said, yeah, on the other side, on the other side? And it was just kind of overwhelming. Hi, come on in, Dad. We can't even ask you a few questions too before we. Yeah, it's okay if you're on the camera because I don't mind being able to see my YouTube. So, he's the skeptic just so you know. Quick question. Do you actually know if you're getting all the nutrients you need?

kids, and just life. It's easy to have small gaps in your nutrition without realizing it.

“And for families, it's even harder because everyone's needs are so different. That's what”

led me to first day. It's the multi-vitamin brand I feel good about using for the whole family,

because it simplifies everything. There's no artificial dies, there's nothing unnecessary, and they're incredibly transparent about their ingredients. They use a blend of 21 organic superfoods and 9 key vitamins, and everything is tested for 200 plus toxins and has the clean, label purity award. They also make different formulas for toddlers, kids, teens, and adults. So, it's tailored to your stage of life. It's just two gummies a day which makes it easy to

stay consistent and takes the guesswork out of covering your bases. For all in the time only, our listeners are getting an insane deal. Use code tapes to get up to 57% off at firstday.com. That's up to 57% off and a free gift with code tapes at firstday.com. After you purchase, they'll ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. You know, before Omaha Stakes, my family kind of treated really good protein as like something

you had only for special occasions. Most weeks, I'd grab whatever was easiest at the grocery store. So, together, there's something quick between work and family life and call it dinner, and I didn't really realize how much I was settling until we started getting Omaha Stakes delivered.

“What changed for me was honestly the convenience as much as the quality. During production,”

especially when we're deep in shooting or traveling, I don't always have time to plan meals

or make grocery runs, and having these individually sealed portions in the freezer has made everything so much easier to actually cook something good instead of defaulting to take out. And the quality is genuinely different. We recently made their filet mignon, just super simple with salt and pepper and vegetables, and it tasted like something from a restaurant. We've also done their burgers and their chicken, especially for backyard barbecues, and it's just nice knowing there's always

something easy that still is really high quality and very intentional. I also love that there's less ways because everything's portioned and you can customize what you want delivered depending on your schedule. Taste the Omaha Stakes difference and never settle for grocery proteins again. Get flavorful, high quality proteins delivered by visiting OmahaStakes.com. Plus, $35 off when you use promo code tapes at checkout. That's OmahaStakes.com code tapes.

Terms apply, C-site for details. So, Sophie, Surized Dad, just joined us for a few answers and questions. So, Sophie, why don't you introduce yourself on what you do for living? Sure. My name is Sophie Furkey. I am actually an orthopedic hand surgeon in Cincinnati, Ohio, and more importantly, the father of three beautiful girls, including Suraya, and then Tosh's

less smart half. Your wife is the coolest. Yes. She told us the story and I'd love for you to retell it because I thought there's two stories.

She told that we're pretty remarkable. The first one being when she was at Wood's End,

“when, and so I was having her time eating when she was little. Do you remember that story?”

Yeah. What happened? And, like, did it feel real to you? Yes. So, like, um, you know, one of the things that we really kind of had to struggle with initially is that Tosh described exactly kind of how the nighttime would go. But that's exactly what we would do. We did that for four and a half, almost five years. So, like, literally every night, one of us was up most of the night. And then the daytime we'd gone work. And so, um, in one of those experiences,

it's just Suraya was really struggling. And, you know, it's so, it was disheartening every time we would give her her feeds and then she would throw up because that would automatically mean that it was going to be a longer time for her to not be sleeping. And then she's going to we'd have to rock her, like literally we would rock her for almost, I mean, it ended up being days and weeks and months if you, like, added up. Um, so like that particular evening, like,

when she was crying in both of us, we're at a point where like, this is, um, almost not sustainable, like, we're not sleeping. Like, you know, one of us, we got to work full time and like, I'm operating during the day. And then I'm sleeping at night and then, like, getting the rest, which you can, you snap when you can. But like, you know, in that moment, like, when the monitor kind of got quiet, like, it was, you know, I didn't honestly know, like, you know,

full full disclosure. I'm a super skeptics guy, like, scientific kind of minded person. And so, like, I am, I usually try to find things that I can't explain, usually try to find what is a scientific justification for doing that. Then the certain things, of course, you can't, like, if you are religious in a way, by definition, the definition of faith is belief in the unseen. Right? So like, there has to be some level of acceptance of things that are perhaps not able to

be explained by science, but I'm still like a science at science at heart. But like, what we're

back and forth over the area of the crib where she was, and then she stopped crying. And like,

“it was, like, for me, like, almost disconcerning, because I'm like, wow, what is happening?”

Like, is this, like, is this a good thing or a bad thing? I was the first thing I thought,

I was like, it's great that she's not crying. But like, what exactly is that, right? And so, when we took the video, like, you know, my, you know, my, my folks are pretty religious and has our, my wife's parents and so like, I said it really more for, like, the concept of, like, like, can you help me process? Like, what am I looking at here? Because what I'm seeing is something that is soothing my daughter that is, I, I, I, I mean, I went in there. I mean, like, I was the

first one. I, I want to go upstairs. And I went there myself with my own eyes, not like, and see, there's nothing visible that I can physically see in the room, um, and then, but she's quiet. She's not crying. And so like, come back down and still there, still there on the monitor. She could see the monitor, but not good. She can see the monitor right back. Yeah, I could do what I couldn't see in her life. And so like, you know, like, my, you know, I had,

my dad is like, listen, he's like, you know, there are things that we can't explain, but

“I don't feel like something that is soothing, Soraya is going to be something that you have to”

worry about, but it's not something that I would say, like, let's advertise this to everyone in the whole world. Like, this is this mate. This is like just for you guys. This is like just, this is a, a hopefully a sign that things are at some point, you know, you're going to be able to manage, like, what feels to be unmanageable, you know, and so I, I think that it was, it was,

it was, um, it might look, retrospective, look, look back at it. It was pretty, pretty incredible.

Like, because it doesn't, it didn't make a lot of sense to me then, and not doesn't make sense to me now, like, what exactly that was, though? What face background did you guys grow up in? So, both, um, we are, um, development Muslim, um, and so like, you know, they're growing up. That's exactly kind of like, I was really like, have, for my dad's side, half Indian, and then my mom's side, half bonkel dash. Right. So, you're a type of variable. Yeah. So, so, so, so my little bug, yes,

that you, you are half Indian and half bonkel dash, that is a true statement. Both of my parents have been doing both the touches, parents are from Bangladesh. So, your parents, for like, okay, we think it's a safe thing. We're not. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And, and that, this is something that,

“like, I think that is, is, um, it's not a negative, right? Like, like, I think that, you know,”

sometimes things happen that we can't explain that, especially, like, in, in, in, if, if there's any bit of a negative connotation, it can be a little bit disconcerning, right? And we're like, so I watch a lot of, like, shows about hauntings and things of that nature and, like, it helps us. And, like, houses, and, like, she is not scared by these things, but what I'm doing her meds, and we're, we're, we're seeing the Annabelle doll. Like, like, it, it, it's, it's a little

different thing. And I'm like, I'm not sure if that could be classified as, that's awesome, that's good. You know, like, there is something a little bit disconcerning about that, but this wasn't bad. So, tell me about, like, what, you know, so I clearly has a deep connection with other side that's very real. And when did you start to believe that what she was seeing, experiencing, wasn't made up, like, that she was probably really connecting with people on the other

side? So, it took a prior long time to learn how to talk. It took a prior long time. Like, we, we were, we were wondering if she was going to be able to communicate, um, and, and so, like, even in the early early stages of her starting to communicate, sometimes she would say things, that I can, I know for a fact that Tasha and I have not said, and at that point in our other kiddos were, I mean, it just just means she was young, she was like five years. She's not using

that language. The people that are coming into the house aren't using that language. And so, like,

can't explain that. So, that was like, like, my first kind of clue, I'm like, okay, I don't,

I can't explain that. And we'll be, like, something that maybe she would say, even. So, like, the first time, um, I distinctly remember this. Like, there's a device that we gone called a standard. And so, a standard is when you cannot bear weight, um, it kind of helps try to build, like, not just bone health, but the ability to kind of stand up. It's the first time I got it in our house. Like, it really depressed me, because it is actually a, it's a physical

representation of something that I know has not a good long-term outcome, like, I mean, or the pediatric surgeon by trade. Like, we use standards in kids with thermal palsy and things of that, that can have a walk or really struggle walking. And so, like, you know, in that moment, like, Sarai had deck, I want to say she was maybe three, and maybe two and a half or three, not saying too many words. And she, clear as a day, you know, said in no distinct terms, because I, I remember

it's okay. This is okay. And I have not her, at that point, I had not heard those words, like literally coming out of a mouth in that way. It was a very distinct, at that point I was like, one word barely answers, not sure if she's understanding, but then I didn't hear anything like that for a while. And so, like, in that moment, I didn't need that. There's no doubt. Like, but the thing is, I wasn't talking about it. It wasn't like I was like walking in the house and

like, oh my god, I can't believe this thing's in the house. And like, you could infer that what I'm saying. I was just looking at him. I was sitting in the kitchen. We had an island kitchen, like, a little window. You could look down to a family room and I was just staring at it. That's it. It's so interesting. And so, like, those type of things, like, slowly but surely, I'm like, and I don't understand those things. But I cannot find good solutions other than,

gotta take it if I explain, because how else can you possibly explain it? For both of you, maybe you just give like a quick snapshot of what in Islam faith people believe about the afterlife

“and the soul. Yeah, I would say I believe in all beliefs, definitely. Yeah. And even our history,”

I love knowing the history. And I think that, you know, in Islam, we certainly believe that, you know, like, our purpose here on this earth is not just this earth. It's our job here. Our purpose here is to, you know, do as many good deeds as you can. And then at the end, we have a little day of reckoning and we figure out how we do. And I think that, you know, part of that belief and thought process is this concept of the soul. And the soul is like,

it is what is, you know, essentially breathing to our body. And it's like, we have a physical representation of who we are. But then you have the soul representation of actually what God has given you. This is who you are. And like, you know, like, in like in many faith traditions, there is some version of, you know, there is a angels that are collecting good deeds and bad deeds and how are you doing? And like, you know, with the thought process that God gives you free will

and the ability to do, either good things or bad things. And that's up to you to figure out how you want to do. There is obviously different books of faith that can help you try to navigate that

“and depending on kind of how you, how you think about those things. And so like, I think that,”

for me, like the concept of the soul is very, it's a very, very distinct and real one. I, you know, I have been in the room, you know, multiple times in my medical career when people pass away,

you know, like we in the hospital. And you know, we always talk about how it gets cold.

That's a thing. I don't think everybody's ever. I never seen a study where people have quantified the temperatures when somebody passes away. But like, there is no doubt. Like, I have been in the room myself. I can't deny that. And like in multiple times. So like, I don't know what that is. Okay. So like, so, you know, is it the school soul escaping the body and heading back to God? You know, if you, unless you truly somehow, you know, had a kind of email from God saying, yeah, you're right.

This is exactly what it was. You're not going to know, right? And so like, but that is, but that is, for me, like, absolutely fundamental. Like, I think that the soul is most definitely an important part of who we are. Yeah. And then, so your friend's name is Chris, right? I'd love to hear the story because I think we kind of touched on that. But I think she was kind of waiting for you to share it. So I'd love to for you to talk about that. And so what was the first experience? And so I

“saw if you want to talk about that too, remember, you know, like, you know, what experience were you”

heard, so I was communicating with Chris after he passed. So I think that even before that, I think that there was a non-siri story that I probably should tell first. So like, the day that Chris passed away is a very young and healthy human. And he passed away of a massive cardiac event.

And no rhyme in the reason. I mean, kind of looks like the incredible hawk. I mean, literally. And so

Chris, the night that he passed, like, I was a mass, as you might imagine. Yeah, I think. And so like, crying a lot. Yeah. So we had like a little trio, me, him and my buddy Rob. And so like, Rob, it called me and said, like, look, like, this is what just happened, like last night. And like, you know, it was, it was devastating for me. And so like, I was sitting in our study. And I was trying to talk to Tasha, but I was like, not in a great place, you know. And like,

you know, one of the things that Chris, not he is, you know, one of the best dads I ever knew. Like, Chris is was the model of how we should be as parents. And so like, the most in one of the most invested humans and his oldest daughter was just starting medical school. She passed away

the first week of med school. And like, Chris, she wanted to do what he did. She wanted to be him.

And like, and it was, and like, or that does it be him, but like, do what he did. And so like,

I got to figure out how we're going to do this. And I was like, you know, like, maybe she can

“come and rotate and Cincinnati. So on it, this is like during the summertime. So clear crystal day,”

the lights in our study went up completely off completely on. Right. And so like, I didn't think much

of it when it first happened. I was like, all right, dude, electrical surge, like, I don't know what's

happening. But so then I said the word, like, again, I was like, we have to take care of her. And like, I was like, she was like, I'm going to take care of her lights on lights off. And again, I was like, okay, so now I'm actually listening. I'm like, I'm not sure what the second one was, but I refused to believe that this is the coincidence. Like, there's no, there's no storm. There's no wave. The electrical surges are happening. And so I kind of decided to tempt fate a little. And I just

talked about it again. And this time purposely lights on lights off, like, clearly like all studies lights off, all lights on. So I truly like felt, and this is coming from a known skeptic. I was like, Chris is here, or some version of him is here, because like, this is what he would want me to do. And because I know for a fact that the roles were reversed, Chris would take care

of these girls, like forever. And so like, you know, that, that was the first time I was like,

okay, so like, there is something about Chris, like, he's around, like, in some capacity. I don't know what that is, but he's around some capacity. So then like, there was a time where we were at Great Wolf Lodge, and we were going to dinner. I'm starting to say, I'm sitting

“access to Raya. And she's like, hey, your friend is here. And I was like, who's my friend?”

She goes, your friend. Back to her home again. He's here. And I was like, oh, I was like, fantastic. I'm glad Chris is here. I'm no idea. I'm like, what was she saying? But then she's like, no, no, he's here. And he needs to tell you a few things. So on this, me and her, on the drive from our hotel room to dinner, Soraya starts talking to me about all the things that Chris wants to

me to know. And it's stuff that I have never discussed with Soraya. I have never talked with Soraya.

It's like, maybe stuff. It's like, it's like, like, surgery stuff. Some of it's like, hey, you know, you said something along the lines of like, good job of keep trying to do the hard cases. Well, the thing is, oh, Chris and I, I mean, he was like, and almost a mentor to me and like, we would do some really difficult stuff together in surgery. Yeah. Like, like, medically speaking, like, really complex stuff. And like, I, and I'm going to talk to Soraya about that. It's like,

by the time I got to the table, and great, well, Flage, I was like, this is, um, I was like a little like, um, not the word is, uh, I was defensive because I, I, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Because I was like, and I couldn't, my logical mind's like trying to put that together as if, like, okay, so what, what, how does she know this? How is it possible for her to know these particulars of what I'm talking about? Because I try my best not to talk shop to the girls,

unless they ask me about something because like, I'm a dad first in the surgeon in a far second or third. So like, like, it's not something I want them. I, I used to give a talk to residents about, like, like life balance, right? And like, it's like at the end of your life, you're not going to talk about how many surgeries you did or how many patients you saw. You're going to be, like, essentially, four or five things. Like, and where you're a good human, where you're a good

son or daughter, where you're a good husband or wife, where you're a good to the world, where you're a good father or, or, or, or, um, mom, you know, like, those are the things that we think about right before we pass. We don't do anything like the else. So I'm like, I try to do that. And the fact the sky was able to, like, dead on, tell me things that I'm like, I, I just, I can't, I don't know what that is, right? But I was like, well, again, I have to take it full, like, like, like, like,

full, full, more because it doesn't make any other sense in the other way. And so like, I, I, I actually feel blessed by my hearing, and because I feel, I miss him less, because, occasionally, I get something like that. And it's like, okay, you know, and regardless of how I'm trying to frame it, it is still really, like, good to know that, um, that somebody is good as him, is still around

“in some ways. And so I, anything you want to add to any of the stuff your dad just mentioned?”

I feel like, for me, I, that I don't know what Mimi said. Chris, I think, I think, I think, I think my brain was like, I think something happened to him. I don't know what it is. And my brain's like, I don't know, but I don't know what happened, but he's here. I feel like, to this day, I learned from this child and my other two girls every day. Like, there is something that some lesson that's taught and like, and I know that other parents have

these same lessons from our kids, but like, this one's a little bit different in the way that

There are ways that are beyond us that we should be able to at least be somebody open to, to like,

“think about, because maybe it makes us better humans. A wonderful, um, so I want a great story.”

I mean, you're such an unbelievable gift and inspiration to so many people going to end today's

episode here. But next week, we'll continue to rise story. I've deeper into some truly unexplained

“experiences and learn more about her unique gifts. You definitely don't want to miss it.”

That's it for this episode of The Talk Tracks. But new episodes will be released every Wednesday, so stay tuned as we work to unravel all the threads, even the veiled ones that knit together are reality.

“And please remember to stay kind, stay curious, and that being a true skeptic requires and”

open mind. To dive in deeper, subscribe to our backstage pass by visiting our website with it. You'll unlock access to bonus content, like to let the detests ask me anything interviews with myself and guests. You'll be able to enjoy the podcast ad free, connect with other members on our telepathy tribe discord and here and see exclusive content from the telepathy tapes vault. Visit our website at the telepathytapes.com for more info on how to subscribe to our backstage

pass. Thank you to my amazing collaborators, producers Katherine Ellis and Selena Kennedy,

technical directing audio mix and finishing by Jeremy Cole, opening and closing music by Liz Smith PW, and original logo uncovered by Ben Condor Design. I'm Kai Dickens, your executive producer, writer, and host.