Making Lemonade with Whit + Kels

Kendyl and Charlie are our guests for this week's episode.   They are two young ladies who lost their mother and have come to share their story.  These two have been through other trauma and trials as well.  Instead of writing about it I am going to let these amazing girls tell you all about it in their episode.  

I am inspired by their desire to keep going in spite of the losses that they have been through.  We hope you enjoy this episode, and make sure to leave a comment for Kendyl & Charlie. 

See you next week!

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This week's guest is Samie.  Samie joins us today and shares her story about her sweet son, Drayke who took his own life earlier this year. 

Drayke was only 12.  He was getting bullied by another boy his age.  Samie says that Drayke was compassionate, sweet, and funny.  He actually tried to befriend the bully hoping that this boy just needed a friend.  What an example of compassion Drayke was.  Their family's world was shattered the moment Drayke was gone. 

Samie and her husband have started a national campaign #bagsagainstbullies.  She talks about what it's all about on this episode.  You can also find out more information @  https://bagsagainstbullies.com/

Samie, thank you for sharing your story on our podcast.  It was an honor to record with you.  We hope we can do your story justice and make Drayke proud.  💛💙
#doitfordrayke

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Lyndsey's story is one that you won't want to miss!  Whit and I know that we will be sharing her story with all of our family and friends for many reasons.

 Lyndsey's story is about her son who was speeding while driving with his best friend.  Her storing is heartbreaking, but she is courageous for telling it.  She talks about survivor's guilt, and how that has impacted her family.  She talks about changes that she wish she could make and gives advice to us parents who have teen drivers now, and in the future. 

I personally learned so much from her and her words.   As hard as it is for her to tell her story, I know it will impact someone else for the better. 

Link for Lyndsey's Zero Fatalities Campaign

https://youtu.be/BECn80uRnRQ

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Ashley is our guest on this week's episode.  Ashley tells about her son, Cash who contracted Adenovirus at just 10 days old.  If it wasn't for Ashley's intuition & courage, she wouldn't have found out as soon as she did that Cash was sick.  Ashley's story is heartbreaking and frustrating to say the least.  I hope her story can reach the ones who need to hear it.  Thanks Ashley for sharing your story.  💛💛

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We've missed you guys! We are ready to be back, and be better than ever. Lots of new guests headed your way. We just wanted to pop on, say hi, and we will catch you next week!

XOXO
Whit + Kels

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You guys won't want to miss this episode!
 
Our guest, Holly Jo is a wife, and a mother of 4.  Holly tells us her story of her son Easten getting diagnosed with Biliary Atresia and eventually needing a transplant.  She talks about what life was like while Easten was sick, and the emotional rollercoaster of being on a transplant list.  Holly then talks about life after transplant. 

 There are so many ups and downs to her story.  I am so grateful for Holly and the bravery that she shows as she raises awareness for organ donation, & talking about how it deeply impacted her family.  She did an amazing job, and we hope you enjoy this episode.  ❤️

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Haley and McKinsey are our guests for this week's episode.  They both have stories about postpartum depression, and want to share how different their situations were, between the two of them. 

Haley & McKinsey's goals for sharing their stories was to show how different perinatal health looks for different people, & to get rid of the shame surrounding mental health.  They also shared their perspectives on some ways that we can help someone who might be going through some difficult times.  These ladies also talk about what helped them to heal, and their lives now while they continue to work on themselves and their mental health.

Make sure to check out the resources they shared, below.  We hope you enjoy this episode.

•Fighting Forward by Hannah Brencher
•Come Matter Here by Hannah Brencher
•Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mother's by Karen Kleiman
• postpartum.net   They have a text help line in English and in Spanish, resources about group therapy, & a lot of educational resources. Help for mom's, dad's, grandparents, etc.  Online support groups.  Phone calls with a licensed therapist, & can be anonymous.
•The Anya Project -  Instagram, Light Keeper's membership, biannual retreats

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Our guest today is someone so near and dear to our hearts. Jessica is the mom of 3 beautiful children. Her oldest son, Dylan, is the little boy who received Tayzli's heart. She tells us her story today, about being given Dylan's diagnosis of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome,  while she was pregnant with him. Not knowing what the future would look like with her little baby, Jessica and her husband JP held onto the hope of having their little baby for as long as possible. She told us about the surgeries and procedures they endured, being put on the transplant list, and all the unknowns of waiting for a heart while watching their little boy get sicker and sicker. Jessica also talked about learning about Tayzli and being able to meet her family and the feelings and emotions that happen with organ donation. It was such an honor to talk with Jessica and to hear her side, hear about the struggles Dylan had, and how they are doing now. Thank you Jess for being so vulnerable and sharing your story with us all. We love you!!

XOXO
Whit + Kels

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Heather Ford is our guest on this weeks episode.  Heather is a widow and a mother of 2.  She spoke with us about the sudden & unexpected passing of her husband in 2017 due to a genetic cirrhosis of the liver. Heather tells us her timeline of losing her husband, and learning to navigate her grief, along with their 2 daughters. 

Heather is a grief coach who is doing wonderful things for the grief community.  She teaches the tools that will help you navigate any type of loss.  Death, divorce, friendship, etc. 

You can find Heather on Facebook where she teaches an 8 week course called the Grief Recovery Method.  

She also does one on one coaching.  You can email her at [email protected] 

You can also find her on Instagram @fordgriefcoach

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Today we have our amazing children on this episode!   We thought we would change it up and let them tell the listeners their thoughts about losing a sibling.  

We are very proud of how brave they were to get in front of the mic and tell us their views and emotions about sibling grief.  We even learned a little something new from them!  

So we hope you enjoy this episode and maybe it will be helpful, and/or insightful for some.  

Leave our kids some love in the comments below.  💛 

XOXO ~ Whit + Kels

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