February 26, 2025

💙 BYTB: Terminal Illness. Parenting with resilience & grace in the face of the worst possible news - with parents Jeff Jenkins & Sarah Rigg

1 hour 8 minutes

Welcome to EP16 of Beyond The Balls!

Jeff is 38, a father of two beautiful children and has Motor Neurone Disease (MND). He was diagnosed 7 months ago and his body is robbing him of his life with his family.

Chi’s father also passed away at 68 from MND (Also known as ALS / Lou Gehrig’s). It’s a terrible disease which shuts down your nerves, but leaves you in full faculty of everything happening around you - including what’s being taken away. That includes your movement, your speech, your dignity and ultimately your breathing.

It sadly is a disease that is becoming much too common. It is also incredibly poorly understood. We don’t know what causes it and there is no cure, with average life expectancy from diagnosis being 2 years.

So when we got introduced to Jeff and his wife Sarah, we agreed we would try to change that, to increase awareness of the disease.

Jeff & Sarah came on the podcast to talk about what they’re going through and it is one of the most profound, inspiring and heartbreaking pieces of work we could ever hope to be a part of.

Jeff talks about resilience. About being grateful for a life well lived. About love. About his family. The grace in which he & Sarah have approached his diagnosis is truly, truly astounding. They are by all definitions, incredible human beings, dealt the most unfair hand in life.

We hope you can be inspired by this difficult interview.

Resource links:

Jeff & Sarah’s GoFundMe

Learn more about MND on FightMND

Beyond the Balls is a fatherhood podcast brought to you by Jayde Couldwell and Chi Lo, a Beyond The Bump production. This podcast is targeted at dads, dads to be, their partners and anyone interested in the journey of fatherhood.

We believe that every dad wants to be the best they can be so our purpose is to entertain, educate and empower our audience. We promise to have open and honest discussions in the hope to leave you feeling more supported after every listen. Join us in celebrating the ups and downs of fatherhood today!

Yeah the dads!

Follow Jayde on Instagram: @londonxboston

Follow Chi on Instagram: @chi_lo

Follow @yummmchi for some cooking adventures!

This episode is proudly sponsored by Tommee Tippee! Happy 60th Anniversary!

Tommee Tippee’s award-winning bottles have been trusted by parents for over 60 years. From the self-sterilising bottle range for ultimate convenience, to the #1 Natural Start Bottle designed to make switching between breast and bottle effortless, to the Advanced Anti-Colic Bottle that’s proven to ease colic, gas, and reflux, their scientifically-backed bottles support every stage of your feeding journey. Loved by parents, and we know you’ll love them too.

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By Sophie Pearce & Jayde Couldwell

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