Thanks for coming back to the last episode in this health care series! And let me tell you: GET OUT YOUR NOTEBOOK. You'll want to take notes during this convo.

Shout out to the 2nd Year Wayne State Med Students!!! This two-episode health care series is for you - or truly anyone in the health care industry listening to this - thanks for wanting to be curious and learn more about caring for patients with physical differences and disabilities. (And med students, we'd love to process this more with you! Send us a DM on IG at @moxieadaptive or email [email protected])

Listeners with physical differences and disabilities: We hope you feel less alone and more seen by listening to this discussion on Ashley's experience in the health care system.

Ashley was born with Maffucci's Syndrome, survived ovarian cancer twice, endured 30+ surgeries, experiences annual MRI's, participates in research with NIH, and recently diagnosed with CVID (immunodeficiency)... which means she has LOTS of experience with medical care. 

Topics/quotes during our discussion: 

• "I feel safe in hospitals because I know that if something goes wrong, it's the safest place to be."
• "The nurses are your biggest allies. They're the ones that know the patients really well."
• "I love what they said after my scan: 'You need to see a specialist; we're not equipped to do this.' I really appreciated that and not having unnecessary speculation. I've had too many mis-diagnosis."
• "Saying you need more help and more resources is best case scenario. Please don't think you'll be the one to get it. Have humility for the patient's sake."
• "I'm a really, really complicated case. It's been my life mission to understand my own body."
• Avoiding getting steamrolled in medical care - and why bringing a plus one to appointments has helped
• "Google can be a doctor's nightmare, and also a patient's nightmare."
• Off-handed remarks and humor... is it beneficial?
• The impact of giving patients quality time when necessary - and using your resources (colleagues, research) to find new information and care
• "You need a doctor who is willing to learn and hungry to understand." (willing to look at research and believe the evidence)
• Physicians and patients are on the same team: We both want answers, both trying to get to solutions. 

Looking for more resources after this conversation?

• Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau
• Episode 4 of "Growing Up" on Disney+
• Ashley's website: ashleyeakin.com
• Follow/DM Ashley on Instagram: @asheakin

Email us at [email protected] to continue this conversation!

Shout out to the 2nd Year Wayne State Med Students!!! This two-episode health care series is for you - or truly anyone in the health care industry listening to this - thanks for wanting to be curious and learn more about caring for patients with physical differences and disabilities. (And med students, we'd love to process this more with you! Send us a DM on IG at @moxieadaptive or email [email protected])

Listeners with physical differences and disabilities: We hope you feel less alone and more seen by listening to this discussion!

In this panel discussion, you'll be hearing from:

- Megan, who was born with amniotic bands in her hands

- Christiana, who was born without a left hand and forearm

- Lisa, who was born with arthrogryposis in upper extremities

Some main topics/takeaways we discuss:

- "I was always a medical auditee"

- Asking permission to touch and assess our bodies

- "I don't want to go to the doctor to explain myself, my body, or make someone else comfortable because they haven't educated themselves"

- "As someone with a disability, we do the emotional labor of making people feel comfortable around us, and that's no different with medical practitioners."

- "A doctor once asked me how my surgeries impacted me emotionally, and a doctor had never asked me that before."

- the power and impact of asking really good questions (and avoiding sharing stories of other patients to deal with uncomfortability)

- "When I go into a new doctor, I have to be the expert on my own body, because I go into that assuming that they don't know my diagnosis."

- "I don't feel comfortable giving you a treatment plan, can you come back in a few days after I research this?".... so powerful and appreciated. The humility is appreciated.

- Having humility, truly listening, and asking permission.  

- "Human first, person first, and don't be surprised on what they're bringing to you or what their body looks like."

- Making a permanent claim over someone's life - when you're not sure or it's temporary - can be harmful. 

- Learn how your specialty interacts with disability - AND BE ADAPTIVE!

We love you, health care providers!

Join us as we get to hear from Meaghan, a licensed clinical psychologist, who endured cancer and a leg amputation in her preteen years. She is a PERFECT example of resilience, strength, and maturity when it comes to EVERYTHING in her life. Here are some clickbait quotes you don't want to miss:

• “Is an amputation considered a limb difference?”
• “How can I shake your hand in a way that’s comfortable to you?”
• “Don’t just do, but ask me what I need”
• “Disability makes a lot of people feel awkward”
• Do friends get more aggravated than we do when someone in public stares?
• Coaching others in how to respond 
• Being joyful and ready for an amputation at 12 years old
• “I didn’t know how to relate to people my age because nobody else was going through what I was”
• The power of resilience
• “When trying something new, grab a friend who knows you well to go with you!”
• ADAPTIVE ROCK CLIMBING!!!!
• Mindset and therapy matters. 
• Meaghan’s story of why she became a psychologist! 

You are the luckiest person today because you get to meet Nicky! I am so incredibly proud of her growth over this past year. She has brought so much value to my life and I cannot wait for her to share her perspective and journey with you. I promise you, you will feel SO SEEN by her story and vulnerability. On this episode, we discuss:

• What it felt like to be in denial of her limb difference in childhood & adolescence 
• Respecting and honoring each person’s journey, no matter what or how you view your differences
• Being around people with disabilities and differences, and the nuances that come along with that
• Being in a limb difference/disability community makes it feel more real 
• Feeling alone & isolated, but putting on a brave & positive face 
• The nuances of combining having a disability & in the ethnic minority… “I am the only one”
• Is disability a part of my identity? 
• EXPOSURE THERAPY!!!! (Setting small challenges, such as going out without a sweater)
• How we all need a Martin in our lives :)
• (For us single ladies… wait for your Martin!!!)
• The mindset of simply existing and not worrying about what other people were thinking, or not giving them that power
• What it looks like to try passing as someone without a disability (and the realization: just because it’s covered, doesn’t mean it’s invisible, I’m not a magician!”)
• What happened when Martin tried grabbing for her hand while slow dancing :)
• Something so powerful about feeling seen and understood and validated by people who just understand 

To connect with Nicky:
IG: @nickydiazzz
---

Follow us along on IG at @moxieadaptive or send us an email at [email protected]. We'd love to connect you to a Moxie community in your local area!

Welcome to the Moxie Pod! We're back with Kelli Chu, as she shares her story of her car accident, navigating a life-changing injury, and re-learning everything. In this episode, we discuss:

• Should we call it a disability or limb difference? 
• The impact of hearing “there’s nobody like you” from doctors
• Her experience going through a life-altering car accident 
• The frustrations of wanting to be independent but needing help 
• Those dang ponytails!
• Re-training and re-learning… and over and over again!
• Is it easy or hard to ask for help?
• And does self acceptance and your support system truly make a difference?
• Ignoring what you need to face - and how it prevents growth
• When is it time to share your story?

To connect with Kelli:
IG: @itskellichu
---

Follow us along on IG at @moxieadaptive or send us an email at [email protected]. We'd love to connect you to a Moxie community in your local area!

You're in for a treat for this episode! Meet my friend Allie - a culinary chef, a yoga instructor, adaptive rock climber, a mom... she has words to share that will make an impact on you.  She walks us through a meditation, breathing exercise that will (oh my word!) calm any anxieties you may have! And just wait until you hear a story at the very end that will give you chills - the body is capable of so much, even through a mother-daughter connection.

On this episode, we discuss:

• her story of her culinary accident and amputation of her dominant hand
• going through pregnancy and postpartum all while learning how to live life with one hand
• how the body has the ability to change and adapt 
• her desire to shift people's perspective on our physical ability and how the mind connects to that
• value of her local adaptive rock climbing community & how this impacted her recovery
• the feeling that you need to "rush through" healing - both emotionally and physically
• how trauma can resurface at any time - and healing feels messy & circular
• the importance of fighting against isolation, and the power of community & reaching out & relating with others
• the superpower of this disability community - your mind wants to tell you "nobody else will understand". YES THEY DO. 
• facing the hard questions, like "why me?"
• how slinkies and climbing a mountain are connected :)
• stripping away things that don't serve you - and what happens when that's your mind/your own thoughts?
• and enjoy a "sample" of Allie's guided yoga work in noticing & breath
• YOU have the ability to let things go, just like your breath
• going back to the drawing board often as someone with a disability

Check out Allie's organization called Adapting Together!

To connect with Allie:
IG: @allie_redshaw
---

Follow us along on IG at @moxieadaptive or send us an email at [email protected]. We'd love to connect you to a Moxie community in your local area!

I can’t wait for you to meet this LOYAL, BRAVE, ADVENTEROUS, THOUGHTFUL, RELATABLE, & CREATIVE friend of mine! Your life will be better with Megan in it. 

In this episode, Megan discusses:

• Co-founding Moxie Adaptive & the value of this community
• What it’s like to be a new mom & re-discovering her identity
• Her teenage years of wanting to prove that she’s just like everyone else
• How overcompensation & perfection show up 
• Learning to believe: I AM ENOUGH, I AM WORTHY, I AM LOVED… and you’ll get through this.
• Processing things like “I don’t look like anyone I see” and “I hope they see my smile before they see my hands”
• Growth contains both peaks and valleys - and why seeking help/counseling is hard
• The power of journaling
• Her story of falling in love with her husband, even when he asked if her dad ran over her hands with a lawn mower!
• How her struggles with body image overlap with her disability
• Learning to say to her son: “Mommy was born like this, this is why my hands look different than yours and dad’s”
• Teaching hand motions and signals to her son, and navigating questions from little kids
• Why it’s sometimes hard to talk about your limb difference to your closest friends

To connect with Megan:
IG: @moxieadaptive
---

Follow us along on IG at @moxieadaptive or send us an email at [email protected]. We'd love to connect you to a Moxie community in your local area!

You've made it to the finale episode! In this episode, you'll hear about:

- Kelly's pending decision to amputate her right arm,

- the nuance of having a semi-invisible disability potentially transition into a fully visible disability, and how perceptions of others may change,

- the lived experiences of fielding questions from others (does the long sleeve shirt really matter?),

- the reality of battling the question "Am I disabled enough to share my story in the disability community?"

- making an effort to find community and fight against isolation

- the value of having friends in the disability community to connect, relate, and process.

---------

To connect with Kelly and learn more about her updates:
IG: @kellylemon
---

Follow us along on IG at @moxieadaptive or send us an email at [email protected]. We'd love to connect you to a Moxie community in your local area!

Tune into Part 2 of Kelly's interview! In this episode, we discuss:

 - Kelly's story of surrogacy and bringing her daughter into the world, 

- the power of sharing our stories, even when it seems unrelatable to anyone else,

- how her Christian faith impacts her mindset, 

- how having a disability teaches other empathy, especially kids,

- teaching kids how to lead with curiosity and creativity when asking permission to ask questions about others who look different than themselves,

- how her daughter created an innovative way to clap hands with her (*you don't want to miss this!!!!!*), 

- is there a right or wrong way to answer other people's questions?,

- your story is yours to tell or not tell, and there's not a right/wrong way to live with a disability and how you share it with the world.

To connect with Kelly:
IG: @kellylemon
---

Follow us along on IG at @moxieadaptive or send us an email at [email protected]. We'd love to connect you to a Moxie community in your local area!

Looking to relate to someone who experienced a tragedy that resulted in a disability or difference?

Looking to understand more about the crossover with chronic pain and disability?

Felt like you couldn’t relate to anyone about your lived experience, so you kept it inside?

Understand what it was like to re-learn your body and how to interact with the world after an injury?

Looking how to navigate offering to help vs letting them do it? 

Do I need to talk about my disability or difference proactively with anyone?

What does it look like to have honest conversations with my friends about it?

Join us for Part 1 of my interview with Kelly!

To connect with Kelly:
IG: @kellylemon
---

Follow us along on IG at @moxieadaptive or send us an email at [email protected]. We'd love to connect you to a Moxie community in your local area!