The Biggest Regret: Don't Wait to Reconnect (with Jesse Perez)

Host Kris Saim sits down with his friend and colleague, Jesse Perez, for a conversation that cuts straight to the mission of Dying Out Loud. Jesse shares the story of losing his dear friend, Kendra Kates, to throat cancer , and discusses the pain of his "biggest regret" : the years their friendship drifted apart before her diagnosis brought them back together.

Jesse, a DEI professional, was one of the first people Kris felt truly safe with after returning to work with a stage four cancer diagnosis. Jesse recounts how Kris taught him to have honest conversations about illness, prompting them to "comfortably talk about cancer without tiptoeing around it".

This episode is a powerful invitation to action: "Pick up the phone, text them, call them". Don't allow yourself to be in a position where you question, “Should I have done this?”. Jesse cherishes Kendra's final message to him—a meme telling him he was doing amazing . Learn how to create those cherished moments today.