When your child survives one medical emergency only to face another, parenting becomes a constant act of advocacy and courage. Today's guest joins us to share her daughter's journey with rare and complex medical conditions, from early respiratory failure and unexplained hospitalizations to epilepsy, lung disease, and life with medical uncertainty. As a military spouse navigating deployments, Brittany shares what it means to walk this path largely alone, trust her instincts as a mother, and fight to be believed by medical professionals.

This episode explores navigating rare disease without clear answers, the life-changing impact of compassionate child life support, supporting siblings through medical trauma, and how rituals, play, and community help families find hope and meaning in the midst of chaos.

Download our free Children's Hospital Passport to help empower your child and family during hospital stays.

Sponsored in part by HealthWell Foundation—learn how you can help families afford life-saving medications at healthwellfoundation.org.

Resources from today's episode:

Medical Support:

• Stanford Children's Health
• Undiagnosed Diseases Network

Nonprofit & Community Support:

• Live Like JoJo Foundation
• The Meg Foundation (Pediatric Pain & Poke Plans)
• Brave Bears Club (Epilepsy Support)
• Child Life Mommy
• CHYP

Connect with Brittany

Follow Brittany's journey as she shares life as a medical mom, military spouse, and advocate.

• Subscribe: Never miss an episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
  
  

• Visit insidethechildrenshospital.com to easily search stories and episodes
  
  

• Follow us on Instagram for updates and opportunities to connect with other parents
  
  

• Download SupportSpot: receive Child Life tools at your fingertips.
  
  

• Leave a Review: It helps other families find us and access our resources!

Keywords:
Rare disease parenting, Medical motherhood, Medically complex child, Pediatric lung disease, Pediatric epilepsy, Intractable epilepsy, PICU parent experience, Military family healthcare, Parent advocacy in healthcare, Child life specialist support, Sibling support during hospitalization, Parenting after medical trauma, Coping with chronic illness, Undiagnosed disease journey, Hospital parent support

Medical information provided is not a substitute for professional advice—please consult your care team

When your newborn is healthy one moment and rushed to the PICU the next, life can change in an instant. Today's guest joins us to share her son's journey with severe hemophilia—from unexpected bleeding after a routine circumcision to a spontaneous brain bleed, emergency surgery, and a months-long PICU stay. This episode explores being thrust into medical motherhood, learning to advocate under unimaginable stress, and how community, child life, and modern medicine help families navigate life with a complex diagnosis.

Download our free Children's Hospital Passport to help empower your child and family during hospital stays.

Sponsored in part by HealthWell Foundation—learn how you can help families afford life-saving medications at healthwellfoundation.org.

• Medical Support:
  Mayo Clinic Children's Center & Hemophilia Treatment Center, Rochester, MN

• Nonprofit & Community Support:
  Hemophilia Foundation of Minnesota & the Dakotas
  
  

Connect with Sami

• Follow Sami and Cooper's journey on Instagram

• Subscribe: Never miss an episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
  
  

• Visit insidethechildrenshospital.com to easily search stories and episodes
  
  

• Follow us on Instagram for updates and opportunities to connect with other parents
  
  

• Download SupportSpot: receive Child Life tools at your fingertips.
  
  

• Leave a Review: It helps other families find us and access our resources!
  
  

Keywords: Severe hemophilia, Hemophilia in infants, Newborn hemophilia diagnosis, Infant brain bleed, Pediatric hemophilia, Medical motherhood, PICU parent experience, Emergency brain surgery infant, Rare disease parenting, Bleeding disorders in babies, Hemophilia treatment center, Parent advocate in healthcare, Life after a NICU or PICU stay, Medically complex child, Child life specialist support, Coping with a chronic diagnosis, Parenting after medical trauma, Hemophilia A awareness, Infant seizures medical emergency, Hospital parent support

Medical information provided is not a substitute for professional advice—please consult your care team.

When your child receives a new medical diagnosis, it can feel like the world shifts beneath your feet. Today's guest joins Katie Taylor to share her daughter's Type 1 Diabetes journey—from dismissing "textbook" symptoms to navigating the financial challenges of families when it comes to chronic illness. This episode explores how one Mom moved from denial to "work mode" and how the HealthWell Foundation helps families afford life-saving medications.

Sponsored in part by HealthWell Foundation—learn how you can help families afford life-saving medications at healthwellfoundation.org.

Download our free Children's Hospital passport to empower your child to feel comfortable in the children's hospital.

• Medical Support: Sanford Children's Hospital, Sioux Falls, SD.

• Nonprofit Support: HealthWell Foundation (Pediatric Assistance Grant).

• Community & Education: Children with Diabetes (10-year coins) and Stacey Simms (Diabetes Connections), Headstrong Foundation

• Connect with Alicia directly

• Subscribe: Never miss an episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

• Visit insidethechildrenshospital.com to easily search stories and episodes

• Follow us on Instagram for updates and opportunities to connect with other parents

• Download SupportSpot: receive Child Life tools at your fingertips.

• Leave a Review: It helps other families find us and access our resources!

Medical information provided is not a substitute for professional advice—please consult your care team.

Keywords: Type 1 Diabetes, T1D diagnosis, HealthWell Foundation, pediatric healthcare, medical financial assistance, insulin costs, child life specialist, diabetes symptoms in kids, middle class healthcare help, medical debt, Dexcom, Omnipod, childhood chronic illness, parenting a diabetic child, Sanford Childrens Hospital, co-pay assistance, pediatric grants, medical parenting, T1D symptoms, diabetes advocate.