The Child Loss Club No Parent Wants to Join

She Raised Her Sister as Her Daughter - Then Cancer Took Her Away

When Andrea Wilson Woods was 22 years old, she made a life-changing decision: she became the legal guardian of her eight-year-old half-sister, Adrienne. What began as stepping in to provide stability quickly became a true parent-child relationship, with Andrea raising Adrienne through childhood, adolescence, and eventually a devastating liver cancer diagnosis. By the time Adrienne died at just 15 years old, Andrea had spent years fighting for her, advocating for her care, and building a life centered around the person she loved most. In this conversation, Andrea and Heather talk about the unique grief of losing a sibling who was also your child in every way that mattered. Andrea shares what it was like to navigate the medical system as a young caregiver, the heartbreak of watching friendships disappear after loss, and the struggle of reconciling a life that has been permanently shaped by grief. They also explore intuition, anniversaries, the milestones their loved ones never reached, and the ways we continue carrying someone forward decades after they are gone. Andrea reflects on writing her memoir, Better Off Bald, preserving Adrienne’s own words and artwork, and building a national liver cancer organization in her sister’s honor. It’s a deeply moving conversation about love, advocacy, identity, and what it means to spend a lifetime keeping someone’s memory alive. Resources & Ways to Connect * Andrea Wilson Woods Website: https://andreawilsonwoods.com/ [https://andreawilsonwoods.com/] * Better Off Bald: https://betteroffbald.com/ [https://betteroffbald.com/] * Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association: https://bluefaery.org/ [https://bluefaery.org/] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/ [http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp [https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp [https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp] * APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast] * Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter [https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter] * Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast] * For more of Heather’s writing and thoughts: https://ohheather.substack.com/ [https://ohheather.substack.com/] * Everything’s Jakey (Substack): https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/ [https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/]

The Child Loss Club No Parent Wants to Join

Erica Phelps never imagined she would one day be navigating life after the loss of her daughter, Emmie. Born healthy, Emmie began experiencing infantile spasms as a baby, and over time her condition became increasingly medically complex, requiring around-the-clock care and reshaping every part of family life. In this conversation, Erica shares what it looked like to parent a child with profound medical needs, the identity and purpose that caregiving created for her family, and the devastating reality of losing not only a child, but the entire life built around caring for them. Erica and Heather talk openly about the rawness of early grief, the physical and emotional weight of losing a medically fragile child, and the complicated process of figuring out who you are after years of 24/7 caregiving. They also explore sibling grief, guilt, honoring a child while continuing to live, and the ways parents try to keep their children’s presence woven into everyday life after they’re gone. Erica shares how donating Emmie’s medical equipment to other medically complex families has become one meaningful way to carry her legacy forward. It’s an incredibly honest conversation about child loss, caregiving, survival, and the deep need to feel understood by people who truly know this kind of pain. Resources & Ways to Connect * Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/ [http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp [https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp [https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp] * APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast] * Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter [https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter] * Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast] * For more of Heather’s writing and thoughts: https://ohheather.substack.com/ [https://ohheather.substack.com/] * Everything’s Jakey (Substack): https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/ [https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/]

The Camp That Still Feels Like Her Dad

Kate Walsh grew up alongside the community at Double H Ranch, the camp co-founded by Paul Newman and Charles Wood for children living with serious illnesses. Her connection to the camp began through her father, a pediatric ICU doctor who volunteered there for years and helped shape the experience for countless families. When he was diagnosed with stage four metastatic kidney cancer shortly after Kate’s wedding in 2021, her family was suddenly forced to navigate the impossible balance of celebrating new life while preparing for profound loss. In this conversation, Kate and Heather talk about caregiving, anticipatory grief, and the way loss reshapes how we move through the world. Kate shares how her family chose to celebrate everything during her father’s illness, why creating moments of joy became so important, and what it looked like to help him spend his final days peacefully at home surrounded by the people he loved most. They also explore parenting after loss, the unexpected moments grief resurfaces, and how carrying someone forward can show up through stories, community, work, and even the smallest everyday interactions. It’s a thoughtful conversation about legacy, family, grief seasons, and learning how to show up better for the people we love. Resources & Ways to Connect * Double H Ranch Website: https://www.doublehranch.org/ [https://www.doublehranch.org/] * Double H Ranch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doublehranch/ [https://www.instagram.com/doublehranch/] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/ [http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp [https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp [https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp] * APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast] * Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter [https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter] * Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast] * For more of Heather’s writing and thoughts: https://ohheather.substack.com/ [https://ohheather.substack.com/] * Everything’s Jakey (Substack): https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/ [https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/]

Told She Would Die at 18 — Then She Got a Second Chance at Life

Erin Mark has lived with the awareness of death for as long as she can remember. Born with cystic fibrosis and told at just five years old that she likely wouldn’t live past 18, Erin grew up navigating a reality most people never have to face: building a life while believing time may be running out. But instead of letting that diagnosis define her, she spent years determined to squeeze as much joy, laughter, and meaning out of life as possible — even as her health steadily declined and she entered end-stage illness in her 30s. In this conversation, Erin and Heather talk about what it means to grow up grieving the future you thought you’d have while still learning how to fully live in the present. Erin shares the emotional impact of living with chronic illness, the importance of advocating for yourself when others give up on you, and the perspective shift that comes from surviving beyond the timeline you were once given. They also explore grief that exists beyond death — grieving health, fertility, identity, and the life you imagined for yourself — while holding space for joy at the same time. It’s a powerful conversation about resilience, uncertainty, love, and what can happen when someone refuses to stop fighting for your life. Resources & Ways to Connect * Erin Mark Website: https://www.erinmark.com/ [https://www.erinmark.com/] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/ [http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp [https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp [https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp] * APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast] * Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter [https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter] * Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast] * For more of Heather’s writing and thoughts: https://ohheather.substack.com/ [https://ohheather.substack.com/] * Everything’s Jakey (Substack): https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/ [https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/]

When Grief and Fear Collide: Surviving Loss, Trauma, and A Stalker

Cassie Wilusz never expected her life to unravel the way it did. What began as a season of happiness — raising her daughter, running a successful café, and rebuilding a close relationship with her father after years apart — was suddenly shattered by a series of unimaginable events. First, her father died unexpectedly in a house fire. Then, just a few years later, her husband Dave was diagnosed with terminal cancer. At the same time, Cassie found herself trapped in a years-long nightmare involving an escalating stalker who terrorized her family while she was already fighting to survive overwhelming grief and trauma. In this conversation, Cassie and Heather talk about what it means to keep functioning when life becomes almost impossible to carry. Cassie shares the emotional toll of caregiving during Dave’s cancer journey, the fear and helplessness of navigating stalking while trying to protect her daughter, and the frustration of a system that repeatedly failed her. They also explore therapy, resilience, boundaries, and how profound loss can completely reshape the way we value time, relationships, and what truly matters. It’s an intense, honest conversation about survival, advocacy, motherhood, and finding clarity after years spent living in crisis. Resources & Ways to Connect * Jake’s Help from Heaven Website: http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/ [http://jakeshelpfromheaven.org/] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp [https://www.instagram.com/jakeshelp] * Jake’s Help from Heaven Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp [https://www.facebook.com/jakeshelp] * APOY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.instagram.com/aplaceofyespodcast] * Heather’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter [https://www.instagram.com/heathersstraughter] * Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@aplaceofyespodcast] * For more of Heather’s writing and thoughts: https://ohheather.substack.com/ [https://ohheather.substack.com/] * Everything’s Jakey (Substack): https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/ [https://everythingsjakey.substack.com/]