Empowered by Hope

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Welcome to our intimate chat about the tumultuous yet enlightening journey to acceptance when parenting special needs children. We, Ashlyn Thompson and Emily Whiting, invite you to join us as we navigate the ebbs and flows of acceptance, a state that we revisit on a regular basis, supercharged with hard-earned wisdom and grace. Listen to our personal tales...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Do you ever find yourself wanting to ask your child's doctor(s) more questions, but find yourself holding back?  Today is all about arming you with strategies to take control of medical decisions for your child. We share how we confidently question our daughters' medical providers and expand on the importance of questioning  in our role as advoca...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! There is so much joy to be had in the midst of the chaos. That is the key takeaway as Emily K. Whiting shares a month in the life of pediatric complex care for her daughter Charlotte.  As Emily recounts the last month's wild journey of outpatient appointments, ER visits, infections, unidentified excruciating pain episodes, fevers, DME orders, IVs, cat...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! On today’s episode, Ashlyn takes the reins while Emily navigates 12 big appointments for Charlotte crammed into 4 days. While Emily is greatly missed, this episode was so much fun to record with our 3 guests, DMI Experts & owners of Beelievability: Allie Watkins, OD OTR and Maggie Pisano, PT, DPT, along with their trusty therapy assistant, yellow lab T...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Have you found yourself in the grasp of complete overwhelm & despair at least once (or maybe hundreds) since receiving the shock of your child's medical challenge(s)? Does it feel impossible to find joy and acceptance in the midst of chaos and heartbreak? Join us, as we candidly share our personal journeys to acceptance, full of ups and downs, and...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Join hosts, Ashlyn & Emily, in an earnest conversation about the comparison trap that we all fall in and out of on a regular basis and learn why this is not something to feel shame about or make ourselves "wrong" for doing. Before diving into the episode topic, (fast forward to minute 26:50 if you wish to go straight to the comparison convers...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Are you grappling with the added logistics of raising a medically complex child? Yeah. Us too.  How do you keep track of countless appointments, medications, treatments, therapies, and durable medical equipment (DME) orders? What resources are out there to help parents and caregivers stay organized and not lose their sanity? Meet our returning guest, Lily...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Ashlyn introduces her own personal support systems, her trusted therapist, who is rose loving, and an aspiring stick figure artist (not really, but she could be!), Chelsea Cassel.  We unmask the often overlooked truth—caregivers and parents are also victims of trauma, even when they are not the direct recipients of a traumatic event. In this discussion we...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Do you ever feel like you’re barely surviving while raising a child with medical complexities? You’re not alone. Join us as we connect with Lily Brown from Parent to Parent USA , a parent herself, who shares her personal journey and the transformative stages of adaptation that often come with this unique role. These stages, as identified and written about...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! What if you could navigate the emotional landscape of raising a medically complex child without being consumed by guilt? Join us as we journey through such a life, reflecting on our victories, challenges and the invaluable lessons we've learned along the way. We talk about maintaining confidence amidst adversity, finding the right feeding methods, pre...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Have you ever wondered how would it feel to juggle parenting six children while managing the challenges of childhood illnesses, with not one, but two kids? We bring you an intimate conversation with Laurie Szabo, a French teacher, and an avid globetrotter, who sheds light on her journey as a mother to six kids. The way Laurie and her husband navigated the...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Imagine navigating through a labyrinth of complex medical needs for your child, coordinating multiple specialists, and grappling with the emotional toll of balancing her care with your own work. Emily bravely shares her personal journey of exactly this rollercoaster ride in this touching episode. Join us as we venture through the various stages of pediatri...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Advocating for our children can be a challenge, especially when we're trying to balance strength and vulnerability. Ashley Milbourne and I share our personal experiences with navigating advocacy, expectations, and vulnerability while striving to move forward in our advocacy journeys. We also delve into the topic of trusting others with our children&ap...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Preparing for your child's surgery can be an overwhelming experience, but there's hope and strength to be found in each other's stories. Join us, Emily and Ashlyn, as we share personal experiences and practical tips on navigating this challenging journey, from mental and emotional preparations to taking care of ourselves and our children dur...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Lily Brown has experienced firsthand the magic in the match of parent to parent support after her daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition at age 3. As Co-Executive Director for Parent to Parent USA, she is dedicated to strengthening the Parent to Parent community so that no parent feels alone, ever. She leads the organization in the areas of d...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! With more than 30 years of experience, having cared for thousands of patients, and with a heart made of pure gold, former neonatal nurse Amy Bartholomew joins Emily K. Whiting, sharing tips for how to advocate for your newborn baby in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Amy was Charlotte’s primary nurse when she spent those first few rocky months of her...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! “I can’t do everything,” and “This is going to end.” These are the two key insights co-host Ashlyn Thompson shares with us about her recent surgery recovery experience with her daughter Emery, who was born with a congenital anomaly called bladder exstrophy.  Now back on United States soil, Ashlyn reflects on the challenges of the last six weeks caring for...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! After six years of living in what co-host Emily Whiting calls the no man’s land of rare undiagnosed disease, her daughter Charlotte has finally received an overarching diagnosis that explains her medical anomalies.  In today’s episode, Emily reveals that diagnosis and the wild journey that led to the genetic anomaly discovery. She openly discusses the chal...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Guest Ashley Milbourne joins host Ashlyn to share her story of first receiving the news of her own health challenges and those of her unborn baby at the routine anatomy scan nearly halfway through her pregnancy. Ashley shares the turbulent road for her and her family after that fateful ultrasound, all while navigating the added challenges of Covid-19.  In...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Ashlyn Thompson surfaces from the “black hole” that is pediatric post-op recovery to share an update on her daughter, Emery.  She shares:  How Emery’s surgery went,  What it’s like having pediatric surgery in a different country (medical tourism),  The worries, thoughts, anxieties, triumphs and setbacks that are post-op, The ongoing struggle with pain cont...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! “You are worthy of happiness and joy in parenthood and this happening to you isn’t your fault,” today’s guest Elaine Bishop reminds us. She adds, “There is still so much joy to be had in raising these little people, even though it’s not going to look like what you thought it would.”  These are just some of the nuggets of wisdom Elaine shares with us in thi...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Ashlyn and Emery take us with them as they fly from Indiana, United States of America, to London, United Kingdom, for a life-changing procedure.  They are the first American patients to undergo this surgery which is not (yet) offered in the United States. In this episode you will learn the background story of what led Ashlyn and her family to decide to “cr...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Fellow mama of a beautiful child with medical complexities, Haleigh Dean shares her incredible insights to two questions we posed:  Given what you’ve gone through with your child, what is one thing you wish you’d known at the beginning of your medical journey that you want to share with listeners now? What is an unexpected blessing or positive that’s come...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! Fellow mama of a beautiful child with medical complexities, Ashley Milbourne shares her incredible insights to two questions we posed:  Given what you’ve gone through with your child, what is one thing you wish you’d known at the beginning of your medical journey that you want to share with listeners now? What is an unexpected blessing or positive that’s c...

Send us a text, we want to hear from you! "To the ends of the earth," says Emery's warrior mama, Ashlyn Thompson. Thankfully she doesn't have to go that far, but she is preparing to cross the pond to seek her daughter's treatment in London, United Kingdom. Ashlyn opens up to us about this looming trip and her daughter's procedure which is not yet offered in the United...