Some parents walk into a diagnosis. Others are thrown into it without warning.

In this powerful two-part story, Johanna and Peter sit down with Susie, mom of three and mother to Zane — her brave "heart warrior" born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Part 1 walks listeners through the moment everything changed: an unsettling 18-week ultrasound, a devastating phone call during their gender reveal, and the first terrifying weeks inside the walls of Boston Children's Hospital.

Susie shares what it was like to navigate pregnancy in the height of the pandemic, advocate alone for her son, and fight through the fear of hearing, "he has the worst heart defect a child can have… and he's probably not going to make it."

Her voice brings forward a truth so many heart families hold: you can't see all disabilities, and you can't see the strength it takes to keep showing up.

This is Part 1 of an extraordinary journey that continues next week.

• The blended family that became the foundation of Zane's fight

• The ultrasound that "didn't look right" and the 45-minute wait that changed everything

• The moment a doctor said Zane had "the worst defect… and he's probably not going to make it."

• Navigating pregnancy alone because of COVID restrictions

• Choosing hope when others pushed for termination

• The first time hearing the words "hypoplastic left heart syndrome."

• Emergency cath procedures, intubation, and a 14-hour open-heart surgery at two days old

• The trauma of watching a newborn re-intubated repeatedly

• The moment a nurse said, "I'm pretty sure Zane's having a seizure," leading to the discovery of his stroke

The story continues as Susie walks through multiple surgeries, months-long hospital stays, feeding challenges, advocacy battles, and the unexpected miracles that shaped Zane's life.

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Some stories take your breath away, not because they're tragic, but because they are so full of life that you can feel every heartbeat of them.

In this episode, Johanna and Peter sit down with Dr. Susan, a chiropractor and mom whose family story unfolded in the most unexpected way. After years of infertility and finally adopting their daughter Emme, Susan found out she was pregnant just 13 days later. When her son Benny was born, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome - a moment delivered in silence, confusion, and overwhelming emotion.

Through vulnerability and honesty, Susan describes the NICU days, the dark thoughts that no parent talks about, the friend who said, "You tell me when and where and I'll be there," and the long, winding road toward acceptance, advocacy, and joy. Her story is a reminder that every child arrives with purpose, and every parent deserves support, softness, and community

In this episode:

• The shock of discovering pregnancy just days after adopting

• The silent delivery room and the moment a doctor said they "suspected he could have Down Syndrome"

• Navigating the NICU, feeding challenges, and early medical confusion

• The dark thoughts of early motherhood: "The guy walked us out and said 'well, congratulations,' and I remember thinking… for what?"

• How one friend dropped everything to say, "You tell me when and where and I'll be there."

• Benny's journey: hearing loss scares, respiratory issues, therapies, and the joy of who he is today

• The importance of community, early intervention, and finding families who "just get it"

Connect with today's guest:

👉 @BarrettFamilyCairo 👉 @BennysBuddies2015

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What if one of the most powerful healing tools for your medically complex child has been around for 50 years, and no one ever told you about it?

In this illuminating episode, Johanna and Peter sit down with Dr. Alison Evans, chiropractor, educator, and founder of Fringe, a company reshaping how families understand and use red light therapy. With 25 years in natural healthcare, Alison breaks down the science, safety, and everyday practicality of red and near-infrared light, especially for parents navigating chronic conditions, inflammation, slow healing, and post-surgical recovery.

Dr. Alison shares how she went from a young chiropractic patient to a leader in natural medicine, why she built Fringe to bridge science and nature, and why she believes "if you can be outside in the sun for 20 minutes, you certainly can do a 20-minute red light therapy session."

Whether you're brand new to red light therapy or already curious about adding it to your child's healing plan, this episode offers clarity, confidence, and compassion.

In this episode:

• How a childhood chiropractic experience shaped Dr. Alison's path into natural healthcare
• What red light therapy actually is and how it works in the body
• Why red light therapy is safe for most children and adults
• Stories of families using red light for eczema, Crohn's, autism, ADHD, inflammation, and recovery
• How to choose safe, high-quality devices in an oversaturated market
• The emotional and nervous system benefits for caregivers, not just kids
• Why connection to nature—and grace for yourself—matters more than perfection

💬 "Trust your intuition… your intuition about what is helping or not helping your child is really, really, really valuable."

✨ Learn more about Fringe:

👉 https://fringeheals.com/

👉 @fringeheals

Use code JOHANNA10 for 10% off Fringe Red Light

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What happens when your first ultrasound becomes the moment everything changes?

In this heartfelt episode, Johanna and Peter sit down with Broghan, a pediatric nurse and mom of three whose oldest son, Theo, was diagnosed in utero with bilateral clubfoot during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. What followed was a NICU stay, weeks of early-morning castings, and a terrifying post-surgical complication that nearly turned tragic. Through tears, humor, and hard-earned perspective, Broghan shares what it's like to live both sides of the medical system as the caregiver and as the mom.

She opens up about the guilt, fear, and resilience that shaped her journey, and why she now tells other parents, "Whatever pops into your head, ask it. It's not stupid."

This episode is an honest reminder that whether your child's diagnosis is rare or common, the emotional toll and the love are universal.

In this episode:

• The 20-week ultrasound that revealed Theo's clubfoot diagnosis

• Navigating a NICU stay as a first-time mom

• The day a simple tendon surgery took a turn for the worse

• How motherhood changed her empathy as a nurse

• The moment she found peace through the poem Welcome to Holland

• The advice she wants every parent to hear: "Don't be afraid to ask the question. Don't be afraid to sound dumb. You're not wasting anybody's time. This is your kid. This is your ability to understand and best advocate."

💬 "It wasn't shame and it wasn't embarrassment, it was an uncomfortability of the unknown."

Resources from this episode:

Welcome to Holland by Emily Peril Kingsley

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Season 2 begins with a story that will stay with you.

Today, Johanna and Peter sit down with Dylan, a first-time mom whose daughter, Freya, was born with a congenital limb difference called longitudinal radial deficiency—a rare condition where the forearm bones don't fully develop. From the shock of her diagnosis at the 20-week ultrasound to finding healing through therapy, family support, and the Lucky Fin Project, Dylan's story is one of raw honesty, fierce love, and learning to give yourself grace in the midst of uncertainty.

Dylan shares the moment a doctor called her baby's missing forearm "a cosmetic issue", the heartbreak of watching her newborn strapped to a medical table, and the relief of discovering she wasn't alone. Through every twist, Dylan's voice reminds parents everywhere that compassion for ourselves and for one another is an essential part of the healing process.

In this episode:

• The day Dylan learned her baby would be born without her left forearm

• The frustration of medical providers minimizing this life-changing news

• The power of family support, therapy, and community

• How the Lucky Fin Project and Camp No Limits changed their outlook

• Why "self-compassion" and "grace" became Dylan's mantras

• Building local connection for families navigating limb differences

Resources from this episode:

• Visit the Lucky Fin Project at their website, luckyfinproject.org, and on Facebook and Instagram @lucky_fin_project
• Visit Camp No Limits at their website, nolimitsfoundation.org, on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram @campnolimits

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"We created the thing we felt would have helped us, and now it's grown into something bigger than us."

Today, we close the chapter on Season One — and open the door to something even bigger.

In this heartfelt finale, Johanna and Peter sit down together to reflect on how Born For This Stories began, the families it's reached around the world, and the moments that changed everything. From the early episodes on their son's diagnosis and surgeries to the powerful guest stories that followed, they revisit the raw, beautiful, and healing journey that built this community.

What started as one family's search for connection has become a global movement for parents navigating pediatric diagnoses, birth differences, and medical unknowns. A space where fear and faith, grief and gratitude, medicine and holistic healing can coexist.

In this episode:

• Reflections on Season One's most powerful moments

• The impact of hearing from parents around the world who said, "I thought I was the only one."

• Why Born For This Stories is "a mirror, not a megaphone"

• What's coming next: stories of limb differences, Down syndrome, heart conditions, and more

• The mission that guides it all: to make sure no parent ever feels alone in the waiting room again

💬 "Healing doesn't happen when we hide the hard parts. It happens when we speak them—when someone says, 'me too.'"

👣 Stay connected at bornforthestories.com 💛 Follow us on Instagram @bornforthestories 🙏 Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode to help us grow the movement

Today, we hear a different perspective — one rarely shared.

In this deeply moving episode of Born For This Stories, Johanna and Peter sit down with Dr. Tarek, a physiotherapist, osteopathic specialist, and founder of the Thrive Beyond the Diagnosis Foundation. Born with a rare and severe form of epispadias that evolved into hypospadias after multiple surgeries, Dr. Tarek opens up about surviving trauma, navigating stigma, and transforming his pain into purpose.

From enduring more than 13 surgeries to pioneering research on pelvic rehabilitation and neuromodulation therapy, his story reveals what true resilience and advocacy look like. He shares how childhood shame and isolation became the foundation for his life's work: helping children and families heal physically, emotionally, and socially after diagnosis.

In this episode:

• How growing up with hypospadias shaped Dr. Tarek's mission to help others

• The emotional and social challenges of childhood in a culture of silence

• How neurodynamic and biofeedback therapies can improve bladder and pelvic function

• Why psychological healing is just as critical as physical recovery

• The importance of empowering siblings, peers, and families to respond with empathy

• The creation of the Thrive Beyond Diagnosis Foundation—and how it's giving a voice to patients and parents worldwide

💬 "We have to make the child know that beyond this diagnosis, it's not the end of the day… It's not the end of time."

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What would you say to the version of yourself who just got the diagnosis?

In this deeply personal solo episode, Johanna shares a letter she wishes she could have handed to herself the day her son was born and everything changed. Speaking directly to the parent lying awake tonight wondering if they failed their child, Johanna offers words of comfort, truth, and strength for the days that feel impossible.

Through raw storytelling and hard-earned wisdom, she reminds every mother that guilt is not love, healing is not linear, and you are never walking this road alone.

In this episode:

• The moment everything changed after her son's birth at home

• The spiral of guilt that every medical parent knows too well

• "Your body did not fail your child. Your love did not fail your child."

• How to bridge holistic beliefs with medical decisions without losing yourself

• The 3 questions every parent should ask their child's surgeon

• A simple 5-minute nervous system reset for hospital rooms or sleepless nights

• Permission to put down guilt and pick up healing

• Why you are still worthy, still seen, and still held—even here

💬 "You can be terrified and brave in the same breath. You can be grateful and grieving in the same hour."

👣 Write your own letter, share your story at bornforthestories.com 💛 Follow us on Instagram @bornforthestories 🙏 Subscribe and share this episode with a parent who just got the diagnosis—they might need these words tonight

When a doctor says, "It's a simple fix," most parents want to believe them. But what happens when it isn't?

In this powerful episode of Born For This Stories, Johanna and Peter speak with Caroline, a UK-born lawyer and mom of four now living in Pennsylvania, whose son Jude was diagnosed with hypospadias at birth. What she was told would be a "minor surgery" turned into three operations over the course of years. Through confusion, conflicting opinions, and an emotional rollercoaster, Caroline found her way to trusted experts, community support, and hard-won wisdom she now shares to help other families feel less alone.

From the moment her son's OB said "He's got a birth defect" to the relief of finally finding compassionate, specialized care, Caroline's story sheds light on what it means to advocate for your child when you don't even speak the language of the medical system.

In this episode:

• The shock of hearing "he's got a birth defect" seconds after birth

• The difference between a "simple fix" and a multi-stage repair

• How Caroline's legal background helped her navigate research and red flags

• Why she says "Give yourself some grace" after years of surgeries

• The role of faith, family, and community in getting through medical parenting

• The importance of asking questions and why choosing the right surgeon changes everything

💬 "I really want to encourage parents that no matter how bad the diagnosis is, normalcy is possible."

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Have you ever gotten a second opinion that was the complete opposite of what you were initially told? Imagine that, plus you've just given birth, and your baby's future is hanging in the balance. That was the reality of today's guest.

In this powerful episode, Johanna and Peter sit down with Kylie, a mom from South Carolina whose son Aiden was born at just 31 weeks and weighing under three pounds. Diagnosed with hypospadias and chordee shortly after birth, Kylie and her husband were thrust into a whirlwind of mixed messages, surgical complications, and hard decisions that no parent feels prepared to make.

From the NICU's conflicting neonatologists — one raising alarms about "ambiguous genitalia" and another saying "he's peeing, so things are working" — to navigating multiple failed surgeries and finally advocating for a world-renowned specialist, Kylie shares her journey with honesty, grit, and hope.

This is an unfiltered look at what it means to trust your gut, demand better for your child, and keep fighting until you find the right care.

In this episode:

• What it's like to give birth at 31 weeks with preeclampsia and a 2 lb 15 oz preemie

• How a hypospadias diagnosis unfolded in the NICU with confusing, conflicting provider opinions

• The challenges of hypospadias repair and surgical complications

• Why Kylie says "who's the top penis surgeon?" became her nightly research project

• The emotional toll of seeing your toddler face multiple operations and preparing for more

• The importance of second (and third) opinions when local surgeons dismiss parent concerns

💬 "We made the decision that we had to make with the information that we had. Now we're making a different decision because we have it."

👣 Share your story at bornforthestories.com 💛 Follow us on Instagram @bornforthestories 🙏 Please subscribe, rate, and share this episode to help us reach more families