Healing Conversations - a One Mission Podcast

Season 2 Ep. 13 - Melissa McGovern & Lynn McJohnson

Guest names: Melissa McGovern & Lynn McJohnson In this episode: * Lynn and Melissa both met Ashley while volunteering at One Mission helping kids get through cancer.  * As a same-sex couple who had tried to have children on their own only to find that this wasn’t their path, they decided to adopt. They attended classes for prospective parents at their local library in their home state of Connecticut to learn more about the adoption process. * They discuss the lengthy process of their adoption experience, from informative classes, to licensure, background checks, and more over the course of a year and a half. Thankfully in their home state they were able to provide some preferences in a candidate, and eventually got the opportunity to adopt their first child - a 7 year old boy named Logan. * Melissa and Lynn have had multiple foster children and teenagers in their home, all with varying backgrounds and levels of trauma. In some cases, the children are able to open up about these traumas, while in other cases the child remains more reserved in what they choose to share. They speak about how to offer support in these situations and how each parent can play a different role to balance out the support. * They share advice to individuals who are considering adopting children who have abusive backgrounds, and share their own experience of how they never could have imagined how the process has gone for them. Organizations discussed in this episode: Massachusetts Adoption Resource Eschange, Inc. (MARE) https://www.mareinc.org/ This is a One Mission Podcast. Cancer can steal a kid’s childhood – we help them get it back through programs and activities that foster friendship, fun, and positive distractions from treatment. Whether it’s putting on holiday celebrations, providing art and music therapy or paying for expensive hospital parking, we make life brighter for children and their families from the moment of diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. https://onemission.org/ Follow us on instagram @onemissionofficial and on facebook @onemission Join our mailing list at onemission.org to stay up to date on our news and events. If you would like become part of this podcast email us info@onemission.org This podcast is presented by Provident Healthcare Partners.

Season 2 Ep. 12 - Carly Tobin

Guest Name: Carly Tobin In this episode: * Carly was diagnosed with Wilms tumor at a young age. The beginning of her journey was surrounded with surgeries and hospital stays while she tried to maintain some degree of normalcy in her childhood. * Carly worked hard to maintain her friendships and connection to her dance team during the time she spent in the hospital. Her team would show their support by calling her after practice, and she even made new friends on the hospital floor. * Carly and Ashley discuss the impact that One Mission had on Carly’s experience while she was receiving treatments. One Mission was a support staple for the entire family, and as her father describes, they were able to heal together. This is a One Mission Podcast. Cancer can steal a kid’s childhood – we help them get it back through programs and activities that foster friendship, fun, and positive distractions from treatment. Whether it’s putting on holiday celebrations, providing art and music therapy or paying for expensive hospital parking, we make life brighter for children and their families from the moment of diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. https://onemission.org/ Follow us on instagram @onemissionofficial and on facebook @onemission Join our mailing list at onemission.org to stay up to date on our news and events. If you would like become part of this podcast email us info@onemission.org This podcast is presented by Provident Healthcare Partners.

Season 2 Ep. 11 - Mandy Goldman

Guest Name: Mandy Goldman In this episode: * Mandy is the mother of her son Mateo, a 2x Cancer survivor who was diagnosed at age 8 * How your social circle changes after diagnosis and how to “keep your cool” while dealing with the impact of cancer in your family * Finding healing and release through Reiki and sound baths * Adding yourself to the bone marrow registry as a potential match for transplant candidates * Having faith that good things can still happen amidst the confusion and devastation brought on by cancer * Throughout your journey, taking the time to focus on creating good memories to erase the bad ones This is a One Mission Podcast. Cancer can steal a kid’s childhood – we help them get it back through programs and activities that foster friendship, fun, and positive distractions from treatment. Whether it’s putting on holiday celebrations, providing art and music therapy or paying for expensive hospital parking, we make life brighter for children and their families from the moment of diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. https://onemission.org/ Follow us on instagram @onemissionofficial and on facebook @onemission Join our mailing list at onemission.org to stay up to date on our news and events. If you would like become part of this podcast email us info@onemission.org This podcast is presented by Provident Healthcare Partners.

Season 2 Ep. 10 - Sam Saperstein

Guest Name: Sam Saperstein * Sam and Ashley met through One Mission; Sam had previously volunteered for the Buzz Off and her father had been the auctioneer for a One Mission Gala event. Sam was happily married in 2017 and she and her husband welcomed their son Mason into the world on March 16, 2020. * Mason was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome: a cranial facial syndrome that affects people’s facial features, and how those features develop. It can vary from mild (unnoticeable) to severe. Treacher Collins Syndrome in many cases also involves varying degrees of hearing loss. * Ashley and Sam recall their stories of having toddlers who are living a different reality than a "normal" childhood. They talk about the journey as a parent, navigating unknowns at every turn - from hospital stays and care, to the affects on family relationships, and how they built the strength to get through it. This is a One Mission Podcast. Cancer can steal a kid’s childhood – we help them get it back through programs and activities that foster friendship, fun, and positive distractions from treatment. Whether it’s putting on holiday celebrations, providing art and music therapy or paying for expensive hospital parking, we make life brighter for children and their families from the moment of diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. https://onemission.org/ Follow us on instagram @onemissionofficial and on facebook @onemission Join our mailing list at onemission.org to stay up to date on our news and events. If you would like become part of this podcast email us info@onemission.org This podcast is presented by Provident Healthcare Partners.

Season 2 Episode 9 - Ashley Brown

Guest Name: Ashley Brown In this episode: * Ashley Brown is the Founder and CEO of Selfless Love Foundation [https://selflesslovefoundation.org/], a 501(c)(3) organization that leverages resources, expertise, and proven solutions to improve the child welfare system, creating opportunities for more foster youth to find their forever families and thrive in adulthood. * Ashley was put up for adoption as a baby, and through elementary school she wore that fact as a sense of pride. In her own words, she always felt she had “hit the family jackpot.” She describes the ripple effect of when a family decides to adopt a child, therefore changing the life of the child and the life of the family members. * She describes the challenges for children who age-out of the foster care system, often facing homelessness after turning age 18 and not being chosen for adoption. Selfless Love Foundation formed a partnership with Children’s Harbor to create Brown’s Harbor, a supportive housing community for former foster youth ages 18-23 that helps bridge the gap from dependence to independence. * Ashley and Selfless Love Foundation work to help get families ready for adoption, and they help the hardest-to-place children find their forever families. @selflesslovefoundation https://selflesslovefoundation.org/ https://www.facebook.com/SelflessLoveFoundation/ This is a One Mission Podcast. Cancer can steal a kid’s childhood – we help them get it back through programs and activities that foster friendship, fun, and positive distractions from treatment. Whether it’s putting on holiday celebrations, providing art and music therapy or paying for expensive hospital parking, we make life brighter for children and their families from the moment of diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. https://onemission.org/ Follow us on instagram @onemissionofficial and on facebook @onemission Join our mailing list at onemission.org to stay up to date on our news and events. If you would like become part of this podcast email us info@onemission.org This podcast is presented by Provident Healthcare Partners.