Imogen in Waiting #author Lindsay Bartlets

 IMOGEN IN WAITING: A Memoir of Modern Reproduction:

When twenty-six-year-old Lindsay Bartels is diagnosed with breast cancer, she also learns she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene. To not pass on the cancer-causing gene, Lindsay and her husband undergo IVF, only to find themselves with three viable embryos: two healthy males and one female—with BRCA1.

Imogen in Waiting is the story of a mother grappling with an impossible decision—whether or not to bring a daughter just like her into being—while also asking some of life’s biggest questions: What makes for a life worth living? How do we live with our decisions? How do we navigate the unknown? Told to her female embryo, Imogen, Lindsay’s story is both human and God-like, about both agency and surrender, capacity and limitations—and how life is always happening in the middle of it all.

To connect with  ...
https://www.lindsay-bartels.com/memoir
https://www.instagram.com/lindsaybartels_/#author 
linktr.ee/lindsaybartels
https://www.nbrf.com.au/ 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

It's good morning, Lindsay Bartels. Welcome to Yellow Shelf.

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Good morning, Joe. Thanks for having me. I love being here with you.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Oh, thank you. I have a copy of your book. Congratulations. Tell us all about Imogen in Waiting.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Yes, Imogen in Waiting is a memoir of modern reproduction. And it is called that because it is the story of my journey being a carrier of this gene that is cancer-causing or has a tendency to cause cancer called BRACO-1. And it is a gene that can cause breast cancer and ovarian cancer later in life. And it's the story of how I underwent IVF to not pass on that gene to my future children and their children. The only way I knew to not have cancer be passed along in the lineages, I came face to face as much as I could in my mind with an embryo that was essentially just like me, because in the US, you can find out gender. So it was female and also a carrier of this gene. And that was like, whoa, that's like me. And I love my life and I want to be here. And my parents didn't have this choice. And now I do. And I would choose my life every time. So I tell this story of my experience having this gene to this embryo who I call Imogen and whether or not I bring her into being.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

And it's so beautifully written. Um I um I was just sharing with you off camera. You know, I felt like I was part of the the storytelling and the story with you. It's such a well-written book. Uh, Lindsay, I guess for me, what I was um, you know, considering about the book was this is obviously a very personal story and a memoir, but it's also, you know, this taps into like those questions of life and medical ethics and motherhood and you know that idea modern technology plays a part in our world and how we embrace it. Yeah, there's so and faith. There was also faith in this. So there was so much, there's so many themes in the book. Yes, I know.

SPEAKER_00 2:16

So I should also say, after my pitch, who it's for, right? Um, to make it as universal as possible, it's really for anybody who thinks they want their life to be a certain way and look a certain way, and then life has a part to play as well. And there's so many unexpected things that appear and decisions people have to make and how to make those decisions. And sometimes with modern medicine, it's playing God, and it's about listening to your inner voice and figuring out when the answer or the solution works for you and why. And it can be people deciding whether or not to have another child, people having embryos on ice and what to do with them. Like I don't think that's talked about enough, and it is a conundrum we're facing more and more these days as a people, as a community, and um and also just the capacity for women to come back to themselves and what they can handle as a wife, as a mother, and all these things that I experienced, I hope, helped other people feel seen, like they're not the only ones having to deal with so much this day and age, right? Yes. So thank you for pointing that out.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Yeah. And Lindsay, do you want to tell us why you chose to write and tell us about you? We are, you know, you and I were chatting. You're a global citizen. These days you find yourself living in Australia. Yeah. Um, but tell us, yeah, tell us about the writing journey journey and tell us about you.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Yeah, so I've always been a bit of a writer, and I don't talk about my mom much in my book, but she's a writer and she's a screenwriter, and she's also written many long-form books that have not yet seen um the published world, but they are amazing. And so as a young person, I always was mimicking her and making little newsletters for the neighbors and sticking them in their mailbox. And then as um people became more online, I'd blog. But then I'd get nervous if a stranger would comment and I had no idea who they were. I'd be like, oh, that's a little much. I always love sharing personal things. So I guess I was getting my chops up and trying to um handle the comments of strangers. And then now that I'm in my 40s and I did end up having um a preventative mastectomy in the sorry, I did have that, but preventative hysterectomy in the end, I had this big sense of I'm okay now with who I am, and I'm totally happy to be more personal on the page for a wider audience. Oh it's kind of a long time coming.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Yeah. Oh no, thank you for sharing that journey because I think you know it's something interesting about how a writer gets to the point and decides to share. Um, yeah, Lindsay, do you want to tell us? You're a global citizen. Tell us where the accent is from, where where you believe, what you've done.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

I know it's so funny in my bio because I couldn't decide what I am. I was born in Texas, my family lives in Colorado, and I lived for a long time in California, first in Los Angeles and then San Francisco, and now have been in Sydney almost five years. And so I'm a little mishmash. There's sometimes a Texas Texan drawl that comes out. Sometimes people are like, Oh, I know you I knew you were from California. So I don't even know what my accent is or how people can tell. But uh feel very fortunate to have had many experiences in different communities and cities for sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah. And Lindsay, the book is available for pre-order now. It's out soon. Yes. I'll put some links in the show notes for where people can connect with you, connect with the book. I wanted to share, I note you're on Substack, you know, you've obviously got a website and Instagram, but you point us in the direction. If anyone is watching around the world and wants to learn about imaging in waiting and wants to learn about you and your work, where should we go?

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Thank you. I would say the most active place is Instagram and my handle is at Lindsay Bartels with an underscore at the end, because apparently there's a few Lindsay Bartels out there. And um, I love the little link tree because that will lead you to my Substack and my website as well as any events I have coming up in Sydney and the US. Um, don't have any wider Australia yet, but yeah, there I have I will have a link to our lovely um podcast when it's available. And I love connecting with people. That's definitely been the cherry on top for me of this whole experience where I can finally exhale and just be available to people. And it's it's a beautiful thing. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Yeah. Well, enjoy, enjoy the journey. Um, I'll put links in. Uh, you're obviously going to keep writing beyond this, I can imagine. Oh, yeah. So I'm ready to write fiction now. Yay.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

This is a total challenge, but it's a way to draw on life experience and have fun with it and not, you know, worry so much about all the different lives that are in the story. So yeah, I am grateful for that.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

Well, I would love, I will love to have you back when it comes out. But enjoy uh imaging in waiting. I know there's online events as well, so I'll put some links in the people can connect with you. Lindsay, all the best. Thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

Oh, thank you so much, Joe, for having me. I appreciate it. So great to meet you.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

All right, thanks.

unknown 7:45

Bye.