#179 - Tiffany Callahan

In this episode of The 10 Ninety Podcast, Mason sits down with Tiffany Callahan to talk about losing her mom, Laura Lee Cloud Steiner, who died unexpectedly on January 22, 2023, at 56 years old. Laura was a billing director at the University of Utah's mental health institute for more than 20 years and a CASA volunteer. She became a mother at 17, survived an abusive marriage, and divorced in 2015. After decades of simply trying to survive, Laura was finally living—traveling, going to concerts, and becoming the grandmother she had always wanted to be. On January 4, 2023, Laura underwent a tummy tuck. After a week in the hospital, she came home, but her recovery didn't feel right. She was exhausted, in pain, and repeatedly told doctors something was wrong. Her concerns were dismissed as normal recovery. Two weeks later, she died from a pulmonary thromboembolism caused by complications of the surgery. Tiffany shares the shock of finding her mom, the anger of being part of such a small percentage, and the guilt of warning her mom about the risks before surgery. She talks about becoming the oldest child suddenly responsible for everything while also navigating her grandmother's stage four lung cancer diagnosis just weeks before Laura's death. She opens up about her complicated relationship with her mom, how they didn't grow close until Tiffany's twenties, and how watching Laura finally find joy healed something in her. Tiffany also shares meeting her husband Mike shortly after her mom's death, hitting emotional rock bottom, and how therapy has helped her carry the anger and grief that still come in waves. Together, Tiffany and Mason talk about the loneliness of grief, the pressure to move on, and the reality that it doesn't get easier—you just get stronger at carrying it.