Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device: Via Apple Podcasts | Via RadioPublic | Via Stitcher

“No touching!” the nurses would scream whenever Jeannie Vanasco got too close to her friend and fellow patient, Anita. Despite strict regulations limiting their contact, Ms. Vanasco and Anita were able to develop a strong relationship while they were hospitalized for mental illness.

On this week’s Modern Love podcast, the actress Miriam Shor reads Ms. Vanasco’s essay about her unlikely friendship, “My Platonic Romance on the Psych Ward.”