Breaking Through: How Dr. Dhaval Desai Faced COVID-19 and Grief: Ep 36

Warrior Moms: Surviving Child Loss

Thank you so much for listening! We'd love to hear from you---what you would love to hear, what you like, what helped, etc. With love, Warrior Moms Michele & Amy

Dr. Desai joins Warrior Moms Amy Durham and Michele Davis to share a raw, powerful account of what happens when professional and personal crises collide. As a hospital director during COVID-19 and a father to a newborn born just two weeks before the nation shut down, Dr. Desai, author of Burning Out on the Covid Front Lines: A Doctor's Memoir of Fatherhood, Race, and Perseverance in the Pandemic, speaks honestly and will connect deeply with anyone who has felt pulled between competing responsibilities during times of trauma.
The conversation takes us through Dr. Desai's gradual recognition of his own burnout—the moment he realized something was wrong when he couldn't find joy in teaching his daughter to ride a bike without training wheels. "There was no joy," he shares candidly, describing how the adrenaline that carried healthcare workers through the first COVID surge eventually gave way to profound emotional and physical exhaustion.
What makes this episode particularly moving is Dr. Desai's willingness to discuss his mental health journey without filters. He describes the pivotal moment when his primary care physician confronted him: "You're struggling... when are we going to do something about it chemically?" This led to medication, therapy with someone he "couldn't outsmart," and a gradual path toward healing that continues today. His perspective on physician burnout gains additional impact through his discussion of Dr. Lorna Breen, an emergency physician who died by suicide during the pandemic—one of approximately 400 physicians who take their lives annually.
The conversation takes another profound turn as Dr. Desai discusses navigating the one-year anniversary of his father's death. With remarkable insight, he and the Warrior Moms hosts explore grief's physical manifestations, the challenges of intentionally creating space for mourning, and how to keep loved ones present through ongoing conversations and memories. His reflections on finding hope not as blind optimism but as meaningful connection within community offer wisdom for anyone navigating loss.
Whether you're a healthcare worker still processing pandemic trauma, a parent balancing professional demands with family needs, or someone walking through grief, this episode offers validation, wisdom, and a reminder that vulnerability—especially men's vulnerability—can be our greatest strength. Listen, share, and join the conversation about breaking silence around mental health struggles.

"Dream Bird" by Jonny Easton

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Warrior Moms podcast. It is an honor to share about our beloved children gone too soon, and we hope by telling of our loss, it may help someone in their grief journey. Please note that we are not medical professionals and encourage those listening to seek help from mental health professionals.
We'd love to hear from our followers!
Website: https://www.warriormoms.me/
Facebook: Warrior Moms-The Club No One Wants to Be In
Instagram: WarriorMoms.SurvivingChildLoss
With love,
Warrior Moms Amy & Michele

Chapters

1. Welcome to Warrior Moms (00:00:00)

2. Dr. Desai's COVID Frontline Experience (00:10:16)

3. The Loss of Joy: Balancing Family and Career (00:23:45)

4. The Physicality of Grief and Mental Health (00:48:11)

5. Perseverance Through Loss and Trauma (01:14:16)

6. Building Community and Finding Hope (01:40:55)