Child Life On Call | Medical, Parenting, Healthcare, Grief, Trauma, Pediatrics, Coping Skills, Community & Support

This is a very worthy repost episode, as April is Limb Difference Awareness Month. We first shared Ashlyn’s story over a year ago, but I wanted to bring it back. The two things that I continue to tak…

Today’s guest expert is Jessica Lewin, a child life specialist in the school setting. We talk about some of the key concepts that she wants parents to know are affecting their middle and high schoole…

Today I’m talking with Megan, who is the mother of three wonderful children. Her first was born with a rare genetic condition called Williams Syndrome. They did not discover this syndrome until he wa…

Today’s guest expert is my mother, Jane Donovan, who is a child abuse advocate. She is here to provide tangible ways to make this concept less scary and to empower kids and parents. We want to leave …

Today I’m talking with Amy, who discovered her son had a brain tumor after noticing something different about his eye one morning. The brain has a lot of jobs, and it has affected his everyday life i…

March is Child Life month, and I wanted to feature some amazing organizations that are doing so much to support children and families in crisis. A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to interview a…

March is Child Life month, and I wanted to feature some amazing organizations that are doing so much to support children and families in crisis. A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to interview a…

Here we are in the last week of February, which is heart month, and I am so honored to bring you Melissa’s story. We have discussed other heart defects before, such as tetralogy of fallot and hypopla…

Julie May has been a child life specialist for almost 20 years. She is here today to talk with us about how to talk to and support kids who have an adult in their lives who has an illness.  Julie tal…

Today’s guest, Elizabeth, had never heard of PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infection) when her son was diagnosed with it. PANDAS is a tough dia…

Today’s guest is Maureen, and she found out at her 20 week ultrasound that her daughter had clubfoot. She shares what families have to endure when confronted with a child with clubfoot. You’ll hear a…

For today’s 12 minute talk, I’m speaking with Kat Harrison. At the end of 2021, I shared Kat’s episode (episode 99) in which she talked about what it was like being a teenager with chronic illness.  …

Today’s guest is Betsy, from an organization called Hope for HIE (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy). HIE refers to brain injury in an infant, and Betsy will share more specifics about the condition an…

As we kick off the new year, my guest Christiana is sharing the story of her son’s osteosarcoma. Nathaniel has passed away, but his family created Nathaniel’s Childhood Cancer Foundation in his name …

It’s the 100th episode! 

Today I’m opening up a bit and letting you get to know more about me as well as more about what a child life specialist does.  I will be sharing my thoughts about the holiday…

My guest today, Kat, is sharing her story as a child and now as an adult with chronic illness. I think it’s important for us to change our perspective a bit and hear what the patient has to say. Kat …

Happy December!  I’m changing things up a big this week, and sharing my discussion with Meg and Jess from Friends with Fros.  I first interviewed them in June 2020, so please feel free to go back and…