Making Lemonade with Whit + Kels

Kylee was gracious enough to come on our podcast this week and share the story of her little boy, McKrae. Kylee and her husband, Kale were so excited in March of 2022 to bring a new baby into their family. What they didn't know, was that they were delivering a baby with down syndrome into a hospital that didn't have the staff or a NICU to give them the right kind of care.

McKrae's health was also put to the test during his first few months of life, when he started to have unexplained seizures. Kylee tells us about how she recognized what his seizures were, and how they have been working with doctors to make sure his health continues to improve.

Every year in the US, 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome. It's a genetic condition when a baby is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21. It can be diagnosed through prenatal screenings, and can also be diagnosed after birth with a physical exam, and a blood test.

McKrae is going to be one year old this month, and we couldn't help but share his story with all of our listeners. His diagnosis doesn't change how perfect and special he is, and Kylee won't let it hold him back from accomplishing anything he wants to!

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Our guest this week is Jessica Swift.  Jessica tells us her story of losing her husband in 2018.  At the time they had a toddler and were pregnant with their 2nd child.  Soon after her husband passed away she found that rainbows carried a form of symbolism for her husband.  She began to paint beautiful rainbows.  The first 40 that she painted went to close friends and family of theirs.  She continued to paint and use that as a form of therapy.  Throughout her story you'll hear Jessica talk about what helped her move forward after such a tragedy. 

Jessica is beyond talented.  She recently wrote a book that is being released on March 21st.  Her book is called, Radiant Rainbows: Messages of Hope, Healing, and Comfort.  You can find her book here:
  https://jessicaswift.com/products/radiant-rainbows-book

On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Radiant-Rainbows-Messages-Healing-Comfort/dp/1423663632/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=radiant+rainbows+jessica+swift&qid=1676315701&sprefix=radiant+rain%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1


Jessica's links are:

Website: https://www.jessicaswift.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaswift

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicagswift
 

We hope you enjoy her episode.

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Brynne is our guest today and she tells us about her experience when her 6 year old son, Brig was diagnosed with Leukemia. We loved hearing about little Brig! How tough he was and his experience going through treatments, how finding the positive helped them get through it, and then finding out that he had relapsed. Brynne did a great job of sharing all the ups and downs, and we are so glad that Brig is now doing great and cancer free. Thank you for listening!

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Seantae, her husband and 2 of their children survived a very horrific car accident on their way to a backpacking trip.  They were hit head on while traveling a 2 lane road.  The vehicle that hit into them was passing a semi truck and failed to see them.  Seantae does a beautiful job at describing their accident, the aftermath and what they are doing now to help other victims and the family of victims of motor vehicle accidents.  She talks about the miracles that happened that day, and what role everyone played in helping them survive.  

This episode is full of inspiration.  Not only has Seantae and her family been through such a horrific accident, they now help others who have also experienced a motor vehicle accident.  Their organization, Sandal Blue Foundation provides financial and informational resources to help others who have gone through a similar situation like theirs.  

Click the link to contact Seantae directly to get help for accident survivors, get support, or book a speaking event.   [email protected] 

Resources:

Sandal Blue Foundation - Website

Sandal Blue Foundation - Facebook

Sandal Blue Foundation - Instagram

Sandal Blue Foundation - YouTube

Sandal Blue Foundation - TikTok

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Andrew is our guest on this weeks episode.  Andrew is 61 years young and had been on dialysis for a very long time.  Andrew not only is on dialysis but he doesn't have any kidneys at the moment.   He gives us some insight into his life being on the transplant list, battling cancer, and going to dialysis 3 days a week.  His life isn't easy but he has such a positive attitude.   We hope you enjoy listening to this episode!

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Our guest Tammie is an incredible woman.  She has been through so much heartbreak in her life and is here today to tell us what she has learned through it some of it.

Tammie had been a nurse for 30 years and currently works in the ICU where she sometimes has to take care of patients with addiction - which coincidently is what her daughter has battled with for the past 13 years.  Tammie first discovered her daughters addiction when she found her lifeless body in their home. 

Tammie is such an advocate for treating anyone and everyone as an important human being.  No matter what the story is behind the reason for someone's struggles.   Tammie works with the homeless as well and teaches us a few things about their lifestyle, which was such good knowledge!

Tammie and her husband have started a woodworking business, where some of the proceeds from each beautiful handmade cutting board that is sold, go to help fund and assist addicts in their recovery.  For more information about their business go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/WasatchArtisan

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Brittany is our guest on this weeks episode and she tells us a little bit about her journey in recognizing the signs & symptoms of anxiety & depression coming into her life.
One of my favorite things that Brittany has said is that she wants to help others to not feel so alone, and I think throughout her episode she does such a great job at telling her story and we know that it'll help validate someone else who is on a similar
journey. She says that the biggest thing she is learning right now is to own her story and love herself in the process; accepting herself while looking for ways to heal. I feel that is so relatable in most of our journey's through life.
Throughout Brittany's episode she gives what sounds like simple tools to help combat negative thoughts and to implement positive talk into our daily lives. As easy as it sounds it can still be so hard to remember. Having someone or something to remind us is so important!
Brittany has done a lot of research herself in finding helpful forms of therapy. She has a list of helpful resources so make sure to look that over.
Thank you Brittany for being brave and sharing your story on our platform.

Daring greatly; Pema Chodron
"Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a
relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well, can we be
present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize
our shared humanity."

Resources:
• The Emily Effect-www.theemilyeffect.org
•Brene Brown -Daring Greatly
•Elder Jeffery R Holland - October 2013 Like a Broken Vessel
• Brene Brown - The Gifts of Imperfection 
• Brene Brown - Atlas of the Heart
•Dr. Thomas Phelan- The Manager Mom Epidemic, The Best Moms Don't Do It All
•Kristin Neff-Fierce Self Compassion
• Gary Chapman - 5 Love Languages

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Jodi is this weeks guest and she talks to us about her journey that led her to a spiritual awakening.  Jodi shares about getting diagnosed with childhood cancer and 2 weeks later her mom also received a cancer diagnosis.   She shares about her past marriage that led to divorce.  Jodi also shares the moment when her mother got diagnosed with cancer for a 2nd time and how that was such a pivotal moment in her journey.  

If you are looking for little nuggets of wisdom, Jodi is one of those people who really found herself in this life and helps others to also find a purpose.  She has an amazing business and if you are interested in learning more from her you can find her on Instagram @jodinelsoncoaching 

Jodi has an upcoming seminar located in Utah, but she also works with people virtually.  So if you interested in connecting with her, send her a DM. 

As always, leave a kind comment for our guest, and let us know what you think about this weeks episode.  

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Our guest this week is Sue, and we were so lucky to have her record with us and to share not only her story, but her wisdom as well.  Sue suffered with an eating disorder most of her life and she was able to cure her eating disorder with EMDR therapy.  Sue shares her journey and experiences and you won't want to miss this episode.  We are so lucky to share her story through this platform. 

Resources:
https://www.emdr.com/
https://www.emdria.org/

EMDR therapists for Cache County Utah - recommended by local police officer's:
Jodi Morgan 435-213-7736
Tonya Pirtle 435-770-4287
Janae Sorensen 435-512-4923

Make sure to show Sue some love by leaving a comment!  Thanks for listening, and have a great week!

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We're back, and boy do we have such an amazing episode for our season 3 opener!! 

Courtney is our guest and she shares her story about her past, and very tumultuous marriage.  Court shares her story to help others see the red flags that she had once missed.  Recording with Court was such an amazing experience.   She is a beautiful and strong woman who won't let her past break her down anymore.  She has definitely learned how to turn her lemons into lemonade and we are so proud to share her story with all of you. 

We love when you guys show us your thoughts by commenting.  Let us know what you think about today's episode. 💛

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