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Ep 76 Magdalene Newman On Being the “Real Life Wonder” Family. A Mom’s Journey of Strength and Perseverance
Remember the book Wonder by RJ Palacio? The book is about the little boy Auggie who had Treacher Collins syndrome, a crania-facial disorder in which some bones and tissues in the face aren’t developed. This book helped change the world of my guest Magda Newman.
Magda Newman’s family is called the “real life Wonder” family. 20/20 did a special on Magda’s family and her family's journey with Treacher Collins syndrome. Magda and her son Nathaniel have written a beautiful memoir called Normal: A Mother and her Beautiful Son.
We talk through her journey of strength as Magda and her husband Russell were completely in shock when Nathaniel was born. They had no idea how their life would be turned upside down with 70+ surgeries, multiple life threatening situations with Nathaniel and the stress that would affect their own health as they cared for their son 24-7; constantly monitoring in the first months and years of his life, things that most parents of newborns never have to face. Things like making sure he wouldn’t drown from a tiny amount of water getting into his tracheostomy, or making sure he didn’t get multiple infections from his surgery, to helping him make friends and find their normal, when people didn’t understand or were scared of the way their son looked.
Throughout this interview I am overwhelmed by Magda’s strength to not only fight for her son’s normal, but how she also has the perseverance to fight her own health battles that almost took her life twice. We talk about her past disciplines as a concert pianist and her life in Poland and how that set her up to fight some of the hardest times of her life.
After finishing up this interview you will be inspired to get through your own hard times. Magda gives us ways she got through the isolating, stressful, and fearful times in her life. You will take away such a beautiful perspective of a mother’s love for her child.
We also talk about how we can teach our kids to be kind and compassionate to those kids who may look different than us. Things we can ask, ways we can approach them with love and respect.
Buy Magda’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Normal-Mother-Her-Beautiful-Son/dp/1328593126
Watch her 20/20 special here: https://abcnews.go.com/US/real-life-family-nathaniel-magda-newman/story?id=67838415
https://abcnews.go.com/US/familys-story-hardships-triumphs-son-rare-craniofacial-disorder/story?id=51142563
Click here for more show notes
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By Kristi Hayes
4.9
7474 ratings
Remember the book Wonder by RJ Palacio? The book is about the little boy Auggie who had Treacher Collins syndrome, a crania-facial disorder in which some bones and tissues in the face aren’t developed. This book helped change the world of my guest Magda Newman.
Magda Newman’s family is called the “real life Wonder” family. 20/20 did a special on Magda’s family and her family's journey with Treacher Collins syndrome. Magda and her son Nathaniel have written a beautiful memoir called Normal: A Mother and her Beautiful Son.
We talk through her journey of strength as Magda and her husband Russell were completely in shock when Nathaniel was born. They had no idea how their life would be turned upside down with 70+ surgeries, multiple life threatening situations with Nathaniel and the stress that would affect their own health as they cared for their son 24-7; constantly monitoring in the first months and years of his life, things that most parents of newborns never have to face. Things like making sure he wouldn’t drown from a tiny amount of water getting into his tracheostomy, or making sure he didn’t get multiple infections from his surgery, to helping him make friends and find their normal, when people didn’t understand or were scared of the way their son looked.
Throughout this interview I am overwhelmed by Magda’s strength to not only fight for her son’s normal, but how she also has the perseverance to fight her own health battles that almost took her life twice. We talk about her past disciplines as a concert pianist and her life in Poland and how that set her up to fight some of the hardest times of her life.
After finishing up this interview you will be inspired to get through your own hard times. Magda gives us ways she got through the isolating, stressful, and fearful times in her life. You will take away such a beautiful perspective of a mother’s love for her child.
We also talk about how we can teach our kids to be kind and compassionate to those kids who may look different than us. Things we can ask, ways we can approach them with love and respect.
Buy Magda’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Normal-Mother-Her-Beautiful-Son/dp/1328593126
Watch her 20/20 special here: https://abcnews.go.com/US/real-life-family-nathaniel-magda-newman/story?id=67838415
https://abcnews.go.com/US/familys-story-hardships-triumphs-son-rare-craniofacial-disorder/story?id=51142563
Click here for more show notes