A Stranger Saved My Husband’s Life, Why You Think the Way You Do, and Answers to Your Questions

The Preamble

Sharon McMahon

Government, History, Storytelling, Education

4.9 • 15.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A shocking phone call after a routine medical exam. Despite no symptoms, Sharon’s husband had advanced kidney disease and he would die without a transplant. She shares the deeply personal story of a stranger saving Chris’s life, and what it taught her about the selflessness of others. Plus, her fascinating conversation with Colin Woodard, author of Nations Apart, who goes back generations to explain why America is so polarized, and tells us what we can do about it. And Sharon answers your most pressing questions: Will the U.S. take military action in Nigeria because of Christian persecution? How can the richest country in the world be so much in debt? Can government officials use taxpayer-funded websites for partisan attacks? If you’d like to submit a question, head to thepreamble.com/podcast – we’d love to hear from you there. And be sure to read our weekly magazine at ThePreamble.com – it’s free! Join the 350,000 people who still believe understanding is an act of hope. Credits: Host and Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon Supervising Producer: Melanie Buck Parks Audio Producer: Craig Thompson To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	My husband was going to die until a stranger who heard a podcast saved his life.
0:11.1	More on that very personal story in a moment, but first, welcome to the preamble podcast.
0:16.2	If you're new, each week you'll hear some of the most interesting stories from our weekly
0:20.1	magazine,
0:25.9	also called The Preamble. Today, I'm speaking with the fascinating guest for a short interview.
0:31.5	Have you ever wondered why we feel the way we do about hot button issues? From gun control to abortion, where do those views come from? Author and historian Colin Woodard will tell us.
0:39.1	Plus, I'll be answering your questions, like, will the U.S. take military action in Nigeria because of Christian persecution,
0:44.9	and how can the richest country in the world also be so much in debt? And finally, AI-generated
0:51.7	videos trolling Democrats being posted by government officials.
0:56.2	Are there rules against that?
0:58.4	I'll explain ahead.
1:01.2	I'm Sharon McMahon.
1:02.8	And this is the Preamble Podcast.
1:05.8	Now back to our story.
1:09.0	For some of us, our lives have a distinct before and after. A singular event so
1:16.2	momentous that everything changes, who we were when the sun crested the horizon, is not the
1:22.7	same person whose head hits the pillow that night. In my family, that day was at the end of 2018, when my husband went to a yearly physical
1:31.8	and got a panicked phone call a few hours later.
1:35.6	Come back immediately, the nurse said.
1:38.4	Something is very, very wrong with your blood work.
1:42.7	It appeared without warning or provocation that my husband, Chris's
1:47.7	kidneys, had decided to simply quit working. And most often when kidneys decide to take
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 14 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sharon McMahon, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Sharon McMahon and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.