A cap and gown, a crowded Great Hall, and then—her waters broke. Carmel thought she was walking toward a diploma; she walked into motherhood instead, delivering a premature baby she didn’t know she was carrying. That shock set off a chain of moments that would test everything: a terrifying delivery, an ICU baptism, and a ward where no one asked how she was. Years later, the ripples were still moving—through hospital corridors, school days cut short by appointments, and the uneasy space where you look “fine” but live with pain.

We sit with Carmel and her daughter, Sertia, to trace a 14-year journey to a diagnosis that should have come sooner: bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. Along the way, they faced misdiagnoses, whispered judgments, and outright accusations—“anxious mother,” “Munchausen”—that could have broken their trust in themselves. Instead, they doubled down on advocacy. A neurologist’s rare and vital apology changed the tone, opening the door to medication, physiotherapy, and life-changing surgery to bring heels to the ground and ease relentless spasticity. But the body isn’t the only battlefield. For Sertia, OCD and depression became ways to wrest control back from chaos; CBT, medication, and fierce honesty helped her climb out of the void and claim a self beyond labels.

Out of the dark, they made something bright. A too-expensive beach bag sparked a creative bet they took on themselves, and Amare Makes was born—a mother–daughter accessories brand built on craft, colour, and care. It became therapy for hands and heart, a bridge to community, and proof that joy is not cancelled by hardship. We talk about Ireland’s welcome, the sting of being disbelieved, what apology can do in medicine, and how to measure progress when some days still hurt. If you’ve ever felt “not sick enough” to be heard or “too much” to be helped, this conversation offers solidarity and practical hope.

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