Kim Mallon | Children's Therapy Concepts: Reaching Goals
When Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
Release Date: 06/01/2023
When Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
Raise your hand if you have memories of elementary school picture day…Did they pass out those little plastic combs? Anybody have some really terrible pictures to share? Today, Katrina and Suz talk about what happens when picture day is really more than just picture day. When your child is facing rare disease, with a shortened life expectancy, you never know when this picture day is the last picture day they will have. The girls talk about making the memories, soaking in the moments, and normalizing grief. “You never know what’s going to be the last picture because you can’t trust...
info_outline 4 AM Dr's appointmentWhen Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
Welcome to the real world of medical motherhood. Just as Suz and Katrina sit down to record, the Suz gets a phone call… Links and resources: Follow Suz: Follow Katrina: Join the conversation: Follow us on Facebook: Follow us on Instagram: Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on our upcoming stories of medical and special needs parenting from families like yours. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review? Thanks!
info_outline Suz and Katrina | Lessons in GriefWhen Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
For several seasons now, we have heard Susan interviewing guests. Amazingly brave people have stepped up to the microphone to share their stories with our listeners. Today, we flip that scenario. Now, it’s Suz’s turn to share. Today, Katrina interview’s Susan. The ladies discuss Susan’s story. Suz shares the trauma surrounding Lorelei’s birth and her entry into medical motherhood. She shares about how medical motherhood inspired her to start the Apricity Hope Project, and how she has been changed by Lorelei’s life and death. Speaking of Lorelei, here’s the to the...
info_outline 4 AM UnitoothWhen Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
4AM is back! Buckle up for Susan’s wild ride of dentistry. You won’t want to miss it! Links and resources: Follow Suz: Follow Katrina: Join the conversation: Follow us on Facebook: Follow us on Instagram: Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on our upcoming stories of medical and special needs parenting from families like yours. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review? Thanks!
info_outline Suz and Katrina | TherapyWhen Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
We all know the analogy about riding in an airplane. When the oxygen masks fall down, you put your mask on first before helping those around you. In medical parenthood, how do you put your own needs ahead of the significant needs of your child? We aren’t talking about making sure the laundry is clean here…Self care for medical moms often looks like taking care of basic daily needs for themselves, showering or brushing your teeth. Today, Suz and Katrina talk about Therapy. They discuss the ups and downs of finding the best fit in a therapist, the ups and downs of therapy itself, and...
info_outline 4AM Summer Vacation to ChristmasWhen Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
4AM: Summer Vacation to Christmas 4AM is back! The girls discuss summer vacation, straight through to Halloween and Christmas. Buckle up, this one is a wild ride! Links and resources: Follow Suz: Follow Katrina: Join the conversation: Follow us on Facebook: Follow us on Instagram: Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on our upcoming stories of medical and special needs parenting from families like yours. And, if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review? Thanks!
info_outline VacationsWhen Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
Mornings are getting cooler and the autumn leaves are on their way in the next few months. Today, the girls recap summer vacation just as the “carefree” days of summer fade away and we transition into fall. Summer vacation looks different under the lense of medical motherhood. Gone are the days of backpacking in Europe. Today’s vacations involve packing and unpacking a van-load of supplies and venturing into a location that is probably not kid-proofed. Vacation plans have back up plans. The back up plans have their own back up plans. Is this really restful? Are we just creating...
info_outline Jessica: Summer book club pt 5When Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
Welcome back for the final episode of our summer book club with Jessica Fein. Today, we discuss writing. Jessica shares helpful advice for anyone looking to begin writing. The girls talk about the importance of sharing their stories in whichever medium is most relevant to them. They also talk about the importance of finding community in writing. “When you say, ‘I’m writing a book,’ it changes everything.” -Jessica Here’s what you don’t want to miss: Advice for writing Mindset Writing to ourselves Met judging yourself Connect with Jessica: Summer is a new season with...
info_outline Jessica: Summer Book Club pt 4When Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
In today’s episode of Summer Reading with When Autumn Comes, Suz, Katrina, and Jessica discuss joy. We always discuss what gives us hope, but where is the joy in this life of medical complexity? Maybe moms of medically complex kids mope around in black and grey all day long. Maybe some do, but not these girls! The girls discuss how they create moment’s of joy, finding it in the every day, and intentionally seeking it out. They discuss the importance of finding joy, not only for their children, but also for themselves. Stay tuned for helpful tips they have discovered over the years. “We...
info_outline Jessica | Summer Book Club pt 3When Autumn Comes: Seasons of Hope for Medical + Disability Moms
Welcome back to another episode of our summer book club. We hope you are reading along with us and joining in the conversation in the When Autumn Comes Society. This week we are discussing isolation in medical motherhood. We talk about the reasons why we feel isolated and how that impacts our families. We discuss ways in which we have found community both in person and online. “Nobody can relate to you anymore” -Jessica Here’s what you don’t want to miss: Relating to others Finding people online Isolation for the other children The village Connect with Jessica: Summer is a...
info_outlineYou and your child have what probably feels like a million appointments scheduled. Medical specialists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists. All of these people are members of your team. Your child’s team. They are supposed to work with you and your child toward a common goal. But who decides what that goal is? And who decides when you’ve reached it, or how to get there, or when it’s time to take a break?
Today, we have a chat with Kim. Kim is a physical therapist and owner of a therapy company that specifically works with young children in Early Intervention and outpatient. We talk about the importance of establishing goals that are meaningful for your everyday life. She tells us what to do when the activities in the therapy session don’t feel like they match what makes sense for your family, or when personalities clash. Kim gives us insight on knowing when to step back, take a break, and focus on living life rather than making it to appointments; and how to navigate coming back to therapy after a break, when the time is right. Most importantly, she drives home the important point that communication is key with your team.
“No one knows what they don’t know if somebody doesn’t speak up.” -Kim
Here are the details from Kim and Susan’s chat:
-
Getting to know Kim
-
Early Intervention
-
Using what you have
-
What should parents know?
-
What if it’s not working?
-
Taking a break
-
Realistic expectations
-
Finding Kim
-
What gives Kim hope?
Medical motherhood is often filled with so many appointments. I hope that Kim has shown you that your child’s therapist is on your team. Do you have questions for Kim? Let me know in the When Autumn Comes Society or send me a DM on Instagram! I'd love to hear about how this helped you.
This episode was sponsored by Children's Therapy Concepts, LLC. You can learn more about their pediatric therapy services that are offered across the state of Virginia at childrenstherapyconcepts.com
Catch up with Suz:
When Autumn Comes:
WAC is a program of the Apricity Hope Project
Connect with Kim:
Email: [email protected]
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss out on our upcoming stories from other members of our medical and disabled community.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star rating and a review so we can reach more moms with medically complicated, rare, beautiful children.
Top 3 tips from this episode:
-
Communicate with your team
-
Identify goals that are meaningful to your family
-
Its ok to change course if that is what your child needs