Navigating Childhood Loss and Grief Through Storytelling
Inside the Children's Hospital
Release Date: 06/18/2025
Why Hospital Continuity and Staff Support Are Critical: Parents Speak Out
Inside the Children's Hospital
Supporting Families in Pediatric Healthcare: Insights from Parent Caregivers In this episode, we explore the experiences of parent caregivers navigating their child's complex health journeys, emphasizing the importance of advocacy, sharing stories, and hospital-family collaboration. Join us as these incredible parents discuss how they advocate for their children, the role of social media in building community, and what hospital leadership can do to improve family-centered care.Key topics covered: Why parents start sharing their child's medical journey online and the impact of community...
info_outline
Trisomy 13: Challenging the Narrative and Choosing Hope
Inside the Children's Hospital
What happens when a diagnosis labeled “lethal” doesn’t tell the full story? In this episode of Inside the Children’s Hospital, Katie Taylor sits down with Nicole, a mom of five, who shares her daughter Charlotte’s journey with Trisomy 13—a diagnosis often associated with limited survival and quality of life. After receiving devastating news over the phone while at work, Nicole and her husband were told their daughter likely wouldn’t survive. But instead of accepting that narrative, they sought out information, second opinions, and a care team willing to partner with them. From...
info_outline
NICU, Trach and Home Care: One Family's Journey to Stability
Inside the Children's Hospital
What does it look like when life changes in an instant—and a family learns to navigate the unimaginable? In this episode of Inside the Children’s Hospital, Katie Taylor sits down with Marah, a mom of four, who shares her daughter Abigail’s journey after a cardiac arrest at just nine days old. What began as a healthy twin pregnancy quickly shifted into a complex medical path involving a NICU stay, life support, and long-term care needs. As Marah and her husband entered the world of medical parenting, they faced fear, uncertainty, and overwhelming decisions. Through it all, they leaned on...
info_outline
Meningitis in Children: When a Mother's Instinct Led to Life-Saving Answers
Inside the Children's Hospital
What happens when your child seems sick, but everything keeps coming back normal? For a lot of parents, the scariest part isn’t the diagnosis. It’s the not knowing. It’s being told everything looks fine when your gut is telling you something is off. This week, Katie sits down with Kayleigh, a medical assistant and mom of three, to share the story of her daughter Kanessa. Almost a year after a freak eye injury that seemed to heal, Kanessa suddenly got sick. At first, it looked like a simple virus. But within days, things escalated fast. Kaylee shares what it was like trying to make sense...
info_outline
When a Parent Has Cancer: What Kids Understand Before We Say It
Inside the Children's Hospital
What happens when your child already senses something life-changing—before anyone has found the words to say it out loud? When serious illness enters a family, children often understand more than we realize. And for caregivers, the challenge becomes not only navigating medical decisions, but also finding the right way to support their children through it all. This week, Katie sits down with Anna Lonon, founder of to share her family’s story of navigating cancer when her husband Michael was diagnosed with stage three head and neck cancer at just 29 years old. While raising a young son and...
info_outline
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA): A Parent’s Journey from First Signs to Diagnosis
Inside the Children's Hospital
What happens when your instincts tell you something is wrong—but you’re dismissed again and again? For many parents, the journey to a diagnosis begins with a gut feeling—and the courage to persist in seeking answers. This week, Katie sits down with Nikki McIntosh, author and advocate, to share the story of her son Miles, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) at just 18 months old. After noticing delays in his ability to stand and bear weight, Nikki followed her instincts despite initial dismissal—ultimately leading to a life-changing diagnosis. Nikki shares what those...
info_outline
HIE at Birth: A Dad’s Story of Brain Injury, NICU Trauma, and Finding Purpose
Inside the Children's Hospital
Within minutes of arriving at the hospital, Brady and his wife were told their newborn daughter had suffered a severe brain injury. In this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital, Katie sits down with Brady Crandall, founder of Youth Crews, to share his family’s journey following a diagnosis of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). What began as a routine pregnancy quickly turned into an emergency delivery, NICU stay, and a new reality as parents of a medically complex child. Brady opens up about: The shock and uncertainty of those early days Navigating life as a “medical dad.” The...
info_outline
Preparing Your Child for Surgery: A Pediatric ENT Surgeon’s Honest Advice
Inside the Children's Hospital
How do you prepare a child for surgery and build trust with their medical team? This episode explores how families and healthcare providers can work together to support children through procedures like tonsillectomy and other medical challenges. This week’s guest, Dr. Tali Lando, shares her perspective as a pediatric ENT surgeon, author, and mom of three teenage daughters. She and Katie discuss what it’s really like for families navigating medical care with complex kids and how parents can advocate effectively while still building strong partnerships with their child’s care team. If...
info_outline
Life After Pediatric Kidney Transplant: A Mom’s Journey Through Dialysis, Surgery, and Recovery
Inside the Children's Hospital
What does life really look like after a child receives a kidney transplant? Many people think transplant is the end of the journey—but for families, it’s often just the beginning. This week’s guest, Lyndsey Fedorko, returns to the podcast to share the next chapter of her son James’s medical journey—life after a kidney transplant. After years of dialysis, hospitalizations, and uncertainty, James received a life-saving kidney transplant from his aunt, marking the beginning of a new season for their family. Lyndsey and Katie reflect on the intense months surrounding transplant surgery,...
info_outline
Healing After the NICU: Processing Trauma, Loss, and Your Family's Story
Inside the Children's Hospital
This week’s guests, perinatal mental health therapists Emily Souder and Mahaley Patel, share the story behind their book Your NICU Story: Reflecting on Your Family’s Experience—a guided journal created to help families process the emotional impact of a NICU stay. Mahaley also opens up about her daughter, Sachi, who died after a NICU stay, and how storytelling and narrative healing became a lifeline in her grief. She and Emily talk with Katie about why so many NICU parents carry trauma long after discharge and how writing your story can help families reconnect with what they experienced....
info_outlineThis episode is dedicated to Katie’s dear friend Joe, who recently passed away, leaving behind his wife and two young sons. Joe’s story reminds us to live in alignment with our purpose and to cherish the people we love.
In this heartfelt episode of the Child Life On Call podcast, Katie Taylor speaks with B.R. Duray, an author, filmmaker, and storyteller whose debut children's book, The Mood Swing, is rooted in his experience of losing his father at the age of 10. With it being Father’s Day this past weekend, this conversation takes on even deeper meaning.
B.R. shares how grief has shaped his creative life, the ways it resurfaces during important life moments, and how his book can help both children and adults find healing together. Whether you're a parent, a grieving adult, or a healthcare provider, this episode provides validation, comfort, and hope.
5 Key Takeaways from this Episode:
✅ Grief grants both pain and power
B.R. explains how losing his dad gave him heightened emotional sensitivity and a creative voice to express and process those feelings.
✅ Grief resurfaces in different stages of life
He shares how emotions from his childhood resurfaced 20 years later during his engagement, reinforcing that grief evolves with us.
✅ Reading about grief helps parents, too
Though The Mood Swing was written for children, it often evokes emotional responses from adults who find healing in its message.
✅ The Mood Swing originated as a film
The story began as a poem and animated concept, but eventually took form as a children’s book—and later inspired a short film.
✅ Parents can model healthy grief
Katie and B.R. discuss how parents showing emotions in front of children teaches them it’s safe to feel and process grief together.
📍Episode Highlights:
⏱️ [3:00] – Katie dedicates the episode to her late friend Joe and reflects on how his life reminds us to live with purpose.
⏱️ [4:00] – B.R. shares how his father’s death shaped his creativity and opened his heart to telling meaningful stories.
⏱️ [10:30] – Discussion around how grief reemerges during milestones like engagements and weddings.
⏱️ [16:30] – The story behind The Mood Swing, how it began as a movie concept, and why B.R. shifted to a book format for a deeper connection.
⏱️ [22:00] – B.R. reflects on the emotional reactions he’s received from adults who have read The Mood Swing and how grief connects us all.
⏱️ [24:00] – Katie and B.R. talk about the importance of parents being open with their grief in front of children to foster healthy emotional expression.
📘 About The Mood Swing
The Mood Swing follows Peter, a young boy navigating the highs and lows of emotion on a magical swing that helps him find balance through physical sensation and presence. Inspired by B.R.'s childhood grief, the book supports kids through big emotions without directly referencing death—making it a versatile tool for many types of emotional challenges.
🌐 Resources & Links from today’s episode:
-
Visit moodswing-media.com – View the book trailer, film, or donate a copy
📲 Stay Connected:
-
Follow @childlifeoncall on Instagram
-
Subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform
-
Share this episode with a friend, parent, or provider who needs it today
The Child Life On Call Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. The content shared in each episode, including stories, discussions, and interviews, is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you heard on this podcast. The views and opinions expressed by guests on the Child Life On Call Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Child Life On Call. Child Life On Call does not endorse any specific medical treatments, procedures, or opinions shared in the podcast. If you or your child are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or seek immediate medical attention. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge that Child Life On Call and its affiliates are not responsible for any decisions made based on the information provided.