Medical Trauma: When the Place That Saves You Also Scares You
I can still tell you what the monitor sounded like. Anybody who has spent real time in a children’s hospital can. The particular chirp of the pulse ox. That alarm…
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Twelve Candles After Silence
Content note: This post includes a personal reflection on medical trauma, a child’s medical crisis, and survival. Not Ready Yet: Twelve Candles After Silence The room was supposed to be…
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When the Doctors Told Me There Was No Hope
I will never forget the day a doctor told us, “There’s no hope.” Not in those exact words, maybe but close enough. The weight of it settled like a stone…
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When the Protocol Doesn’t Work
In the world of Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome (OMS), few names are as respected and recognized as Dr. Michael R. Pranzatelli. His work changed the trajectory of care for children like…
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Scrolling Through the Storm
Every now and then, I open up my Facebook memories and come face-to-face with the version of me who was holding it together with prayers, sarcasm, and sheer willpower. These…
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When the Calm Breaks
We got to the Children’s Hospital ER, and I remember the moment clearly. The calm I had been carrying started to fray. There’s a shift that happens when the staff’s…
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The Shaking Doesn’t Stop
The Second ER – Misdiagnosis #2 We made arrangements for the kids, packed bags, and headed 2.5 hours to Nashville. We arrived at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in the middle of…
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8 Years Ago: The Beginning of Change
A Journey of Faith, Fear, and Finding God in the Chaos 8 Years Ago Our Lives Changed, our world shifted in a way we never saw coming. Our youngest son…
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Faith Through the Fog: Our Journey with OMS, Eight Years Later
In the month of June, I’m leaning into something I’ve long put off and that is sharing more of our story, the unfiltered version. Eight years ago, our lives were…
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The Lord Will Fight for You
A note from Brandi:This reflection is shared for encouragement, education, and personal reflection. It discusses faith, parenting, medical hardship, and trusting God in hard battles. It is not therapy, clinical…
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When Medical “Little Lies” Create Fear in Children
I have deep respect for nurses, nurse’s aides, child life specialists, and all the other “worker bees” in the hospital. They are fantastic and often under-appreciated. Over the past several…