T21Mom-A Down Syndrome Podcast

It's the end of the school year and Mary shares about the type of year it's been with another new EA for Ainsley.  She shares Ainsley's successes and what it means to have a good team to support your child.  Mary also talks about a great day at the PNE where Ainsley rode the big roller coaster for the very first time (she wasn't one bit scared) and their big plans for the summer.  

In a heartfelt conversation, Mary sits down with Kim Revai, who shares the incredible and emotional story of her son Jace's birth.  Kim's journey is a testament to the strength and resilience of a mother facing unimaginable challenges.  Jace entered the world at an astonishing 26 weeks and one day, far earlier than expected.  Kim, living far from her family was told to go directly to the hospital...

Mary and a group of her Haunted Rockin' Mom friends meet and go to the 150th Kentucky Derby.  These women all met on a haunted pub crawl back in 2022, and have forged an incredible friendship.  They pack in a lot over the Derby weekend, including a bourbon tasting, scooter escapades, the Thirsty Peddler and of course, the exhilaration of the Derby itself.  

Mary sits down with Sabine Kussman, who recounts her poignant journey of her son Kian's diagnosis and her family's courageous path forward.  From a heart-wrenching beginning, where two weeks passed without a single medical professional congratulating her on son's birth, to facing discouragement about breastfeeding, Sabine learned to trust her instincts.  Despite therapists' negative predictions, K...

Mary has an engaging and heartfelt conversation with Shiloh Carte who shares her not very typical, diagnosis story.  In fact, Shiloh predicted her child with Down syndrome! Over a year before she was even pregnant, Shiloh had a dream that was so vivid and so powerful that she knew with all her being that it had to be true-she dreamt that she was going to have a baby with Down syndrome and it would...

Mary chats with fellow Rockin' Mom Stacey Herncane who shares her diagnosis story.  Stacey waited in limbo for a week until she was given a definitive diagnosis for her son.  From grief of thinking "why her" and how this just wasn't a possibility in her and her husband's lives, to taking lessons from third graders and learning to celebrate Down syndrome, Stacey goes through all the emotions.  And...

Mary's heart-to-heart with Dorothy reveals the power of faith and resilience in the face of life's challenges. Dorothy's journey from miscarriage to pregnancy is a testament to the human spirit and the importance of holding onto hope.  Twenty years later, she recalls receiving the diagnosis news of her daughter Faith with such vivid detail, showing how these moments shape our lives and stay with u...

Mary's conversation with Kellie Anderson reveals a powerful story of resilience and hope.  Despite Kellie's Rh factor creating obstacles during her pregnancy, she remained determined and inspired.  When her baby Raina was born with Down syndrome, Kellie's husband provided unwavering support and reassurance.  Kellie's message to new parents is one of positivity and courage, reminding them that ever...

Mary engages in a heartfelt conversation with Shelli DeGroot delving into her remarkable journey of diagnosis and resilience.  Shelli recounts the unexpected twist of a pregnancy even after having her tubes tied, followed by the surprising news of her baby having Down syndrome.  Through it all, Shelli finds solace in her faith, believing that her son is destined for great things.  She reflects on...

Mary chats with mom Keller Kuhn for the first episode in the diagnosis stories series.  Keller is Mom to Timmy, who is almost 22 years old, and she shares how she actually prayed for a child with extra needs, what prompted this and how she felt when her prayers were finally answered.  Keller raised five children, including Timmy who has Down syndrome and the dual diagnosis of autism, as a single p...

Mary shares her personal experience on this past World Down Syndrome Day and cool experience after wearing her "Love Down Syndrome" shirt.  She also shares that even though this day is important, that this year she didn't do a whole lot other than wearing mismatched socks and her Down syndrome shirt and her subsequent feelings about this.  And Mary also has some big news about her Haunted Rocking...

Mary chats with Lauren Zwick, mom to Emma and Lily who are identical twins with mosaic Down syndrome-a true rarity! Lauren shares the uniqueness of her twins and how their mosaicism affects them differently.  It is a fascinating and intriguing conversation about twins, mosaic Down syndrome and Down syndrome.  Lauren's daughter Lily makes an appearance and shares what it means to have Down syndrome...

Mary shares her personal story of being a single mom by choice and receiving a prenatal diagnosis that her baby would be born with Down Syndrome.  She talks of her intense feelings of grief and sadness upon learning of her baby's diagnosis, but also how she came to acceptance of the diagnosis and when her baby was born, it was a true celebration.                  

Mary chats once again with toileting expert Katie Rinald.  Katie answers some of the most commonly asked question from parents who are toilet training their child with Down syndrome.  Everything from when to start, is your child ready, how to get your child to initiate, even dispelling myths of toilet training.  And Katie even answers the question about how to get your boy to pee standing up (her...

Mary shares about the recent snowfall and how Ainsley actually enjoyed it.  She also talks about what is happening at school, how Ainsley is participating, and her recent gains in speech. And finally, Mary talks about how you can be a part of an upcoming show!

Christmas traditions and how Christmas may look different for our children with Down Syndrome. On today’s episode Mary talks with Ron about some of her favourite Christmas traditions, how she has learned to appreciate the “moments” and not worry about having the Hallmark Christmas. Mary also shares some other Rockin Moms Christmas traditions including Christmas Eve jammies and the White Elephant....

On today’s episode, Mary shares the best birthday gift ever!  Putting into Ainsley’s IEP “fostering friendships” turned into a heartwarming birthday card and a beautiful note by Ainsley’s EA for her birthday.  She talks to how our kids, even those with the dual diagnosis, can still have genuine and meaningful friendships.  #T21Mom.com

On today's episode, Mary talks with Carissa Carroll, founder of Jack's Basket.  When her son Jack was born with Down syndrome, no one congratulated them and the delivery of his diagnosis by the health care provider left much to be desired. Carissa felt this had to change. What first started as leaving two baskets at the hospital, has led to Jack's Basket, a non profit organization that has deliver...

On today's episode, Mary talks about a successful Halloween and an interesting trick or treat experiment involving a potato!  Mary also shares how she was pleasantly surprised with Ainsley''s memory of her music therapy teacher.  Mary also met Madison Tevlin-one of the stars from the movie "Champions" at the 321 Summit-a wonderful afternoon event. And she was very surprised to learn that Ainsley's...

Mary heads to San Antonio, Texas for this year's Rockin Moms Retreat.  Listen in as Mary chats with other moms, hears their stories, and learns what the Retreat means to them.  There's another Haunted Rockin Moms pub crawl that may have been more sinister than ghostly, plus lots of wine, love and good times.   Plus a former co-host visits to hear the stories.

In today's episode Mary shares this year's IEP experience, which went pretty well!  She also talks about Ainsley's new EA, how keen he is, and how he wants to make things more inclusive for Ainsley.  Plus she has an update about Ainsley's palette expander (it's not good news), what she is doing for Rocktober, plans for Halloween, and a little story about how her advocating has really resonated wit...

On today’s episode Mary talks with Patrick Cadigan and Megan Smallwood of the Post Secondary Transition podcast. They discuss the role of a Transition Coordinator, how to involve your child in these decisions, and the complexities of the post secondary transition. Check out their websites at Postsecondarytransition.com and p2transition.com.  

Mary shares her thoughts on the coming school year and how she is hopefull and optimistic despite all the changes. She also talks about how pleasantly surprised she was, when they all went out for the afternoon and Ainsley walked for hours with no complaint!

Mary chats with Dorothy Gazzola about how to prepare for your child to transition out of high school-it can be overwhelming! Dorothy is a wealth of information and talks about the different steps to take so that parents and your child are prepared. It’s never to early to start! As Dorothy was going through the whole transition with her daughter, Faith, what she wasn’t prepared for was the emotiona...

Mary chats about how back to school this year is different.