I met “Busy Bee” as her NICU nurse.

At the time, I had no idea I was meeting my future daughter.

In this episode of Holyoaks Rise: Stories of Rising Through the Unexpected, I share the journey from NICU nurse to foster parent to adoptive mother. What began as caring for a premature baby in the NICU became a life-changing story of foster care, adoption, medical motherhood, and learning to navigate a world filled with diagnoses, specialists, therapies, and “all the ologies.”

This is more than an adoption story. It is a story about parenting a medically complex child, advocating through uncertainty, and finding hope when life takes an unexpected turn.

We discuss:

• ​ Foster care and adoption
• ​ NICU life and prematurity
• ​ Medical motherhood
• ​ Parenting a medically complex child
• ​ Navigating diagnoses and specialists
• ​ Family resilience and advocacy
• ​ Life on both sides of the hospital crib

Whether you’re walking through the NICU, considering foster care or adoption, raising a child with complex medical needs, navigating a rare diagnosis, or searching for encouragement during a difficult season, this episode is for you.

It’s a story about rising above fear, embracing the unexpected, and discovering that some of life’s greatest gifts arrive in ways we never could have planned.

Because difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations—and when we share our stories, we rise together.

Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

In this first episode of Holyoaks Rise, I share my journey from NICU nurse to medical mom. From navigating my daughter’s NICU stay to managing a chronic pediatric GI condition with my older child, I found myself experiencing healthcare from both sides of the hospital crib.

This episode is for parents navigating medical complexity, pediatric chronic illness, special needs parenting, and the uncertainty that comes with a child’s diagnosis. I share how professional experience and personal challenges shaped my perspective and inspired the creation of this podcast.

Whether you’re caring for a medically complex child, adjusting to life after a NICU stay, advocating for your child through appointments and therapies, or simply trying to stay anchored through medical uncertainty, you’ll find encouragement and support here.

In this episode, you’ll learn what to expect from future conversations about medical motherhood, caregiver support, rare and chronic conditions, resilience, and rising through life’s unexpected challenges.

Because difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations—and when we share our stories, we rise together.

Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/