Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Mamma Care

This week I’m talking about grief. It’s an uncomfortable topic to talk about but it’s one that unfortunately we all go through at some point in our lives. It’s an extremely personal topic.There is no comparison. Everyone is entitled to feel exactly how they do when experiencing grief. In this episode I share with you a personal journey that I went through using the Grief Recovery Method Program. Please know that I have permission to share some details about the program but due to the high sensitivity of the program there are other details that have been purposely let out both due to privacy and copyrights of the program. The founders and staff at the Grief Recovery Method encourage people to share their story and experience with the program.  So I share with you want I can and hope that this sparks interest or resonates with someone listening.

To learn more about the Grief Recovery Method their other programs or to become a certified grief counselor. Visit: https://www.griefrecoverymethod.com/

In this episode I interview Ashley Keller, founder of GlowBodyPT. Ok, so I have to be completely honest with you on this one. I totally geeked out when Ashley agreed to come and be on the podcast! You guys, I’ve “know” her and she’s been my workout buddy for 3 years now! This episode was so special because this was the first time we actually got to speak face to face and not solely through social media! We spent time talking about how she got into fitness and I share with you how her Free plans were instrumental as I RElearned how to take care of myself after my son’s diagnosis. And now they are an integral part of my day. Let’s face it, being active and working out, aren't just for weight loss and fitting into those skinny jeans. No. It’s so much more than that especially when you’re like me and you have to RE-teach yourself how to take care of YOU so you can take care of your baby! *Disclaimer- Always consult with your physician before partaking in a fitness program.*

Links: 21 Day 8 Minute Workout Challenge

FREE Prenatal Workout Plan

GlowBodyPT 12 Week Post Pregnancy Plan

GlowBodyPT 10 Minute Plan Diet & Nutrition

Playlist on YouTube: GlowBody PT YouTube Channel

https://www.allmammacare.com/

A.L.L. Mamma Care Private Facebook Group

Instagram: @A.L.L.MAMMACARE

This week I sit down with Danielle Sikonski -Director of Family Services at Why Me & Sherry’s House in Worcester, Mass. We talk about how Why Me & Sherry’s House came to be and the legacy Sherry Shepherd left behind. We discuss the bountiful services this outstanding non-profit offers families while their loved ones are undergoing treatment for a cancer diagnosis and beyond.

Sherry’s House has become a second home for my family and I’m so thankful for them! A big thanks to the entire staff, countless volunteers and community members for supporting, donating and all their fundraising efforts to ensure Why Me & Sherry’s House will forever be a second home for for families in their time of need.

Links:

https://whyme.org/

https://tinyurl.com/Why-Me-Tree-House

https://www.allmammacare.com/

A.L.L. Mamma Care Private Facebook Group

Instagram: @A.L.L.MAMMACARE

My husband, Ryan and I finally got some time to sit down and chat about our holiday recap and how we plan intentional time for family, friends as well as time to personally recharge and how it’s been helping us as a family. I share with you my recent experience at a Caregivers day retreat and Ryan talks about the guilt he feels when doing something for himself. We unpack how we celebrated a big milestone in our son’s treatment and how we’ve been adjusting to monthly clinic visits. Ryan closes out the episode by offering a special message to all the male listeners.

Links:

Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Facebook Group

Children with ALL (leukemia) Facebook Group

https://www.allmammacare.com/

A.L.L. Mamma Care Private Facebook Group

Instagram: @A.L.L.MAMMACARE

This week I sat with my sister, Mary. She, along with my entire immediate family have given my son, my husband and myself support from Day 1 of my son’s diagnosis with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In this episode, Mary and I talk specifically about her experience after hearing the news, how she navigated grief and allowed her coworkers and friends to become apart of the conversation to fill her heart. She shares with us how she supported my son while out of state as well as her experience at Curefest in Washington D.C. She informs us about her work as a marketing director by day and yoga instructor/cacao and women’s circle leader by night. We talk about our similarities in the desire to help and reach out to others helps us during times that we’re struggling. She casts her vision to provide personalized yoga instruction, specifically trauma yoga instruction to members of this community as well as others going through challenging times. My hope for this episode is to share some ideas that maybe helpful as you and your family navigate this journey.

Links: https://www.curefestusa.org

http://marythibault.com/trauma-sensitive-yoga

https://www.5lovelanguages.com/

https://www.allmammacare.com/

A.L.L. Mamma Care Private Facebook Group

Instagram: @A.L.L.MAMMACARE

Happy New Year Everyone! I’m so pumped to back working on the podcast after a holiday hiatus! I’ve missed hearing from you all!!

We had a great holiday season and enjoyed time with family and friends and I hope you did too! It was wonderful to see our son playing with his cousins and enjoying the Christmas season filled with endless light displays, model trains and of course playing with every truck he could get his hands on! The past two months have been extra special as we were able to step away from his diagnosis and be fully present. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of organizations like the NEGU (Never Ever Give Up- Jessie Reese foundation), the Kaitlyn Langlois Memorial Fund and the Why Me & Sherry House here in Central Mass. We closed out the year with a BIG Thomas the Tank Engine Long Term Maintenance party and each family member signed a Monster Truck for Ollie! Did your family do anything special to commemorate treatment in 2019? Are you planning a treatment celebration for 2020? Is you family looking for other ways to support and raise funds for cancer research? If so, stay tuned to learn more about how the Great Cycle Challenge works and how you can get the whole family involved biking throughout the month of June!

Links: 

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/

https://childrenscancer.org/resources-for-families/

https://negu.org/

https://whyme.org/

https://www.kicksforkaitlyn.com/

https://www.allmammacare.com/

A.L.L. Mamma Care Private Facebook Group

Instagram: @A.L.L.MAMMACARE

In this episode I connect with Jenni, a board-certified music therapist and a certified Early Intervention provider. We talk about what Early Intervention is and the multitude of services it can offer children ages 0-3. We uncover the steps to how families can get involved free of charge and how services are customized to meet the child where they’re at in life. The overall goal of Early Intervention is to increase a child’s stimulation, cognitive development and have fun while learning.

Children learn through play. Many times when a child is given a cancer diagnosis or other life threatening illness the fun and play in life is striped away in an instance both from the child and family. If your child qualifies for Early Intervention services this is one additional way to bring fun and learning back into life for the entire family unit.

To get more info hop on over to: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html

https://www.allmammacare.com/

A.L.L. Mamma Care Private Facebook Group

Instagram: @A.L.L.MAMMACARE

This week I sit down with Maureen Letendre, former Owner of InDemand Coaching. She's a Certified Professional Coach (CPCC) and a Certified Consulting Hypnotist (CCH), with over 25 years of experience in the field of Human Resources and Personal Development. She is a dear friend of mine and experienced in the following types of coaching: life empowerment, career, executive, relationship, leadership, and mindfulness. And is a trained and experienced mediator.

We dive into all the things: Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, 5 primal emotions, going back to basics with breath work, 5 love languages, 4 questions to ask yourself to help slow down, using “clean communication”, focusing on little miracles, using creative expression to move through emotions and most importantly, What to do when your cape is at the cleaners!

Contact Maureen here: [email protected]

Today's SuperWoman- What to do when your cape is at the cleaners: https://www.amazon.com/Todays-Superwoman-What-When-Cleaners/dp/1517622743

Discover your love language here: https://www.5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/

https://www.allmammacare.com/

A.L.L. Mamma Care Private Facebook Group

Instagram: @A.L.L.MAMMACARE

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my podcast! I know you have a million things to do and it seems that everything is of the highest priority and there just aren't enough hours in the day. I created A.L.L. Mamma Care really as a way to document and catalog all these amazing resources that have helped and are currently helping my family through my son's treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

In an effort to serve listeners better and to continue to do this project I want to turn the mic over to you! My listeners! I want to hear from you!  I'm not a licensed social worker nor am I a licensed therapist. I'm a mom of a SUPERKID and my goal is to create a community that offers support and lifts each other up in our darkest hour.

Tell me what you want to hear more about! Because chances are if you want to hear about it another parent does too! What are you interested in hearing about? Do you want to hear more about advances in clinical studies? Do you want tips on how to improve your family relationships? Do you want tips on how to work through grief or more interviews with professionals in the Oncology community? Do you want to hear more strategies to help your child through treatment and beyond? Do you want to hear more about financial assistance programs?

Links:

https://lewishowes.com/sogpodcast/

https://www.cleowade.com/

https://www.allmammacare.com/

A.L.L. Mamma Care Private Facebook Group

Instagram: @A.L.L.MAMMACARE

Ryan and I have been together since I graduated college! That's over ELEVEN years!! We've been so through so much in our relationship, as every couple does, and we've always made it through thick and thin. When we said our marriage vows to each other on our wedding day we included promises to each other. We promised to "love and support each other in our life ahead, to continue to work in tandem especially through the challenging times because those are the moments that will make us a stronger couple". We promised " our love will only continue to grow and that we can truly face anything that comes our way". These vows hang above our bed and are a constant reminder for us to stay connected. Of course every relationship is unique. Every family structure, and internal and external pressures are unique and circumstances seem to change hourly when caring for a child with a cancer diagnosis or a chronic illness. This is our story and we wanted to share this to encourage others to continue to find and speak your voice especially in those darkest of times. 

Links:

https://www.5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/

https://www.allmammacare.com/

A.L.L. Mamma Care Private Facebook Group

Instagram: @A.L.L.MAMMACARE