Joy In The Journey

Joy In The Journey

Joy In The Journey is a podcast dedicated to supporting families with critically ill kids. Life brings unexpected circumstances, but choosing joy makes all the difference. Your host, Jamie Freedlund, knows this better than anyone. Her world changed when her daughter, Mattea Joy, was born with several severe medical complications. Jamie and her husband were given a very small chance that Mattea would survive at birth, but were able to share nine and a half wonderful months with her that they didn't expect to have. This experience led to a deep level of gratitude, shifting Jamie’s life as a result, and allowing her to discover joy in every day—even the tough ones. Most of Mattea’s life was spent in the hospital. It was there that Jamie came to understand what it means to be a parent of a critically ill child and the challenges that go with it. Through this podcast, she hopes to help other families going through similar struggles. Join us on a journey of connection and learning through beautiful stories, expert content, and finding more joy in the everyday!

Episodes

March 26, 2024 40 mins

After losing someone close to us we are usually told about the five stages of grief and how each of them will show up. But grief often shows up differently for everyone, skipping and cycling through stages in unique ways.

My guest today is Sara Ward, and she knows a thing or two about grieving. After unexpectedly losing her father to a heart problem as a teenager, her 9-month-old adopted son was diagnosed with a rare and terminal d...

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We’ve all experienced those days where it feels like we catch every red light on a busy commute and nothing seems to be going right. But what happens when we’re intentional about stopping to look for the small glimmers of joy, even in those heavier days? Allow me to introduce you to today’s guest to answer that question.

Gina Prosch is a writer and teacher who has made it her mission to help children and adults find joy in even the...

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Juli Boit is no stranger to helping those in need. She’s an author, family nurse practitioner, and international non-profit director of Living Room International, dedicated to providing palliative care services to adults and children in western Kenya. 

After going through an adoption journey with her son Ryan, whose parents had recently passed, and consequently adopting his siblings, she found herself needing some help of her own w...

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Sarah Falk has received more than a few extremely scary cancer diagnoses in her life: the first one at only 17 years old (bone cancer) and the second at 40 years old (breast cancer). Naturally, she found herself asking, “Why Me”? But as you’ll hear, a better question to ask yourself is, “What now?”

Sarah is a mom to 4 boys, a mental health therapist, an author, and 4-time cancer survivor. She has taken her traumatic experiences and...

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As today’s guest will tell you, “You become a NICU parent in the blink of an eye.” 

Katie Ross is the creator of Blooming Littles and she’s doing incredible work in the NICU space as a certified neonatal occupational therapist. As a mom of a full-term NICU baby herself, she’s made it her mission to inform and empower parents by teaching them about the little things they can do that make a difference in their baby’s development and ...

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How are parents meant to believe that the loss of a child is all part of God’s plan?

Grief is a difficult journey for everyone, but it can feel especially challenging when it’s accompanied by a feeling of losing yourself or your faith. My guest today, Emily Ann Adams, had this exact experience after the passing of one of her twin boys, Aidan. 

Faced with three little children under 5 to look after, including Aidan’s brother Alan wh...

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One of the only certainties about having children is uncertainty: we can’t find out beforehand how a pregnancy or birth experience will go, or who our children will grow up and become. Add in a premature birth, an illness diagnosis, and a NICU stay to the mix, and it can lead to overwhelming worry and anxiety.

My guest today, Meg Helgeson, is certainly no stranger to this. Her twin girls Ellie and Leah, who are now healthy 12-year-...

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When a parent learns that their child has been diagnosed with a serious illness or condition, it’s difficult not to be consumed with worst case scenarios. 

But as Bekah Bowman will tell you, you have two choices: either allow your past and future to steal joy from your present, or embrace joy in the present moment, no matter what it looks like. 

And Bekah is no stranger to this concept: her two boys, Titus and Ely, were both affect...

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Even though symptoms and conditions are always unique, there is one thing most people who’ve recently been diagnosed with a difficult condition have in common: the search for hope and answers to many questions.

Today's guest, Jonny Imerman, has made it his life mission to bridge that gap; through his non-profit, Imerman Angels, Jonny has connected thousands of cancer survivors with recently diagnosed cancer patients. After getting ...

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During pregnancy, parents usually imagine what their child will be like and everything they’ll get to do together. You get excited about all the traditional milestones and look forward to experiencing this new reality. 

But for parents who receive difficult news after the birth of their child, such as an unexpected Down Syndrome diagnosis, this reality is shattered in a matter of seconds. Even the most understanding of parents are ...

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I'm so excited to get season 3 of the Joy in the Journey podcast underway and I wanted to share a sneak peek with all of you.

If there's one thing that I've grown to appreciate after starting this podcast, it's the power of a shared story. And in season 3, I have an incredible array of inspring individuals lined up.

So enjoy this sneak peek and stay tuned for a new episode next week!

Don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spo...

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If there’s one thing that I’ve learned since starting this podcast, it’s the power of sharing stories. And today’s guest would wholeheartedly agree with that, as she’s been helping women share their stories in powerful and meaningful ways for years.

Jenette Jurczyk is the National Director of the She Said Project and a Professional Storytelling Coach. She’s also the co-founder and President of the Family Room, a non-profit organiza...

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I am so excited to share this conversation with you today. Today's guest exudes positivity and inspiration, and I truly hope you'll enjoy hearing his message as much as I did.

Kute Blackson is a transformational teacher, speaker, visionary guide, and national bestselling author of You Are the One and The Magic of Surrender. He also hosts the Soul Talk podcast and has dedicated his life to personal development, spirituality, transfo...

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If your child is in the hospital, there may be times when your motherly instincts kick in because you know that something isn't right. And as you'll hear from today's guest, there's nothing wrong with speaking up and advocating for your child, even when the medical teams tell you everything is fine.

Before Eunice Clay's son was born, all the tests were clear. Soon afterward, Jahari was having trouble breathing as there was fluid bu...

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At the age of 16, Veronica Porter’s son was in a tragic car accident that left him in a coma for three weeks. His brain injury resulted in permanent brain damage that has affected him and everyone around him in many ways. Still, his disability is not obvious or apparent to the naked eye. 

Despite the injury, Veronica’s son is a very high-functioning and capable young man whose symptoms only show up occasionally, leaving those aroun...

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Raising a child with autism is a process that requires patience, resilience, and an information-seeking mindset. But as rewarding as the journey can be, an autism diagnosis can alter the family dynamic and impact each family member in many ways.

My guest today, Dr. Taylor Day, is a licensed psychologist who specializes in supporting autistic children and their families with diagnostic evaluations, therapy, and parent coaching. But ...

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If raising a child takes a village, parents can use all the help they can get when navigating a difficult medical journey. But between medical teams, family, friends, and all the different groups of people that come together in order to provide the care needed, a lot of informational gaps can get left behind. 

From splitting time between the hospital and your family at home to preparing for discharge and transitioning home with (po...

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When Kendra Regas’ son Andon was 5 years old, he had already been dealing with several allergies, including a peanut allergy. That in itself would be plenty for any parent to worry about.

Shortly after having his tonsils removed, Andon started wetting the bed. Soon afterward, Kendra booked an appointment to meet with the doctor. After describing the symptoms, the doctor said, “I think I know what it is, but I just hope it’s not.”

T...

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When Savannah Zirbel was only two and a half years old, she lost her left leg and arm in a terribly unfortunate accident. In the blink of an eye, Savannah and her family’s world was turned upside down as they were left to learn how to navigate life with a disability as their new normal. 

What they didn’t know was how powerfully inspiring and transformative this journey would turn out to be: Savannah refused to let her disability de...

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I’m so excited to welcome Joy Harmon back to the podcast, as this will be the first time I’ve had a guest on the show for a second time!

It feels even more appropriate when you consider that Joy had not one, but two NICU journeys with her daughters. And I’m very happy to say they are thriving right now. Joy is also a breast cancer survivor who underwent treatment at the beginning of COVID when everything changed for everyone. What ...

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