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April 24, 2020

One Last Thing Before I Go

Words can seem so puny and ineffective sometimes. On this show, we have stories in which ordinary people make last ditch efforts to get through to their loved ones, using a combination of small talk and not-so-small talk.

Prologue

Prologue

Host Ira Glass talks to a New York City ICU doctor about the little observations nurses are recording about their COVID patients to save for their families. (4 minutes)

Act One

Really Long Distance

Producer Miki Meek tells the story of a phone booth in Japan that attracts thousands of people who lost loved ones in the 2011 tsunami and earthquake. A Japanese TV crew from NHK Sendai filmed people inside the phone booth, whose phone is not connected to anything at all. (21 minutes)