Moments of Joy

God’s gift with Yasmeen Hamed (Ibrahim’s Mom)

Today my special guest is the mom of Ibrahim Hamed and her name is Yasmeen. They are constantly going viral on Tik tok and Instagram for showing the day to day life of her family and son who is now an adult living with Autism and Cerebral Palsy. We sit down for a candid discussion that is sure to encourage parents raising children with special needs.  

Hearts of Joy with Lauren Costabile

Today I'm sitting down to chat with the founder of non profit organization Hearts of Joy International. Hearts of Joy is a non profit that  provides life saving heart surgery to individuals with Down Syndrome. They are dedicated to serving vulnerable children who otherwise would have no access to quality medical care. 50% of children born with Down Syndrome are born with a congenital heart defect that requires surgery to repair before it becomes life threatening. Due to poverty and lack of resources in developing worlds, children are not given access to proper medical care. After traveling to Uganda, East Africa and seeing the need first hand and witnessing how individuals with Down syndrome are disregarded and seen as a burden to society, Lauren was inspired to start a program to help. Hearts of Joy International walks with families through the surgery process, providing resources, support and education to communities, orphanages, caregivers and parents on the inherent dignity and value of the child. Hearts of Joy International serves in the Philippines, India, Mexico, Uganda and right here in the United States. 

Let’s Talk Autism with Shae ( Stece’s Mom)

Today I'm sitting down with Shae with is Stece's mom. If you don't know who they are you must check them out on Tik Tok where they have millions of followers. Stece is 17 years old , nonverbal and has autism. He is a viral sensation who loves to cook. I talked to mom about the journey as a mom and finding resources and everything needed to take care of her son. let me know what you think and follow them online @shaenstece.

28 years as a special needs mom with Michelle Hobgood

In todays episode I'm sitting down with Michelle Hobgood. She is the Mom of 28 year old Devon who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Autism. Michelle is a home organizer and fitness trainer and she shares her journey with us. Listen in and let me know what you think.

Sanfilippo Syndrome with Ashley Haywood ( Sadie’s Mom)

Today Im sitting down to chat with Ashley Haywood. Shes the mom of 6 year old Sadie Rae who is a viral sensation on tik tok and instagram @savingsadierae where she spreads advocacy and joy. Sadie Rae was diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrome which is  childhood dementia. I wanted to have mom come on and share to bring awareness and also to encourage other parents with special needs even if you don't have the same diagnosis.

 

If you are looking to join our support circle you can do so by tapping he link. I'll see you there. http://mojsupportcircle.app

Autism Beauty with Jada Boo’s Mom (Danisha)

On todays episode I'm sitting down to chat with viral sensation Jada Boo @autismbeauty22's mom Danisha. Jada is a 17 year old young woman who is diagnosed with autism. She is shattering the myths around what Autism looks like and bringing awareness and acceptance . Follow her on social media and tap into this episode to let me know what you think.

It’s Dwarfism Awareness Month with Missy Mills

Did you know that this week is Dwarfism Awareness Month?? 

Meet Eden! @edenolivia.com_ She’s 6 years old and she was diagnosed with Achondroplasia which is the most common form of dwarfism at 5 months. There are over 400 types of dwarfism. On today's episode of The Moments of Joy Podcast I’m sitting down with Little Eden’s mom and her name is Missy. Will you listen in to be educated with me and join in to support this amazing community! Community, would you join me in dropping your green hearts below to show your support! Because even though many of us may have different diagnosis you’d be surprised to hear how much we as parents still have in common. I’m excited about this episode 

 

Actually Autistic with Kaelynn Partlow

Today I'm joined by Kaelynn Partlow, one of the stars of the Netflix Series Love on the Spectrum (U.S). 

Kaelynn is a therapist who at the age of 10 was diagnosed with Autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Adhd.

Listen in to the incredible chat and let me know what you think. 

 

Be sure to connect with Kaelynn on all of her social platforms:https://linktr.ee/kaelynn_vp

 

Join our support circle :

https://support-circle.mn.co/share/ETNtdrqN7JEfaqX-

Resources and Community for the special needs parent

One thing that I know well, is resources, and another is finding and growing community. So we're gonna get into that. My therapist, she said, Camille, I'm impressed with you. She said, You are so resourceful, and you have the gift of problem solving. And I said, Wow, I've never thought about that. And so I realized that maybe some people may not know when I'm going to share. So I'm going to just start sharing resources. If you are a parent, and you have a child, and you think there may be some delays, I spoke about this on a previous podcast, but there is something called early intervention. And that is a program that exists all throughout the United States. It's called something different in every state, I know up north where I'm from, it's called Birth to Three. Down here in Texas, it's called something different, but every state has it. And what early intervention is, is a list of it's a place of resources for your child, they can have speech therapy, sometimes occupational therapy, different things to work with them to get them on the level that they should be on developmentally, before there's ever a diagnosis. And many children who receive birth for three services don't even need have a need for a diagnosis after not because of the early intervention, just because they may have never had a disability, they just might have needed someone to work with them along the way. And so you can find out who that is in your area by using Google or 211. Google, and 211 are my favorite resources. Very simple to access to one one, you pick up your phone in the United States and Canada, and you dial 211 It's a UNICEF number, but it is going to put you in touch with someone who can give you the resources you need around your area. So say you're looking for respite, respite care in your area, and you have no idea how to get started, how to find someone that can help you with your child or your adult. You find respite. Respite is relief for the caregiver. So it's a short period of time of rest or release relief for the caregiver. This means say you have a teenager or a 19 or 20 year old, you're not able to leave your child with anyone or your adult with anyone you are their primary caregiver. But you have to go on a trip for work. Now what? 

Mental Health: Let’s prioritize it.

 Every Monday, my social media networks, I've been very consistent about talking about mental health. And my stories, I have made it a mission. To make it mental health Mondays, I share articles, I share tips, I share different things that help parents raising children with disabilities. I know what I experienced, and I'll talk about that a little bit. Raising a child with a disability, it is beautiful. Our children are amazing. But because many of us have different diagnose diagnosis, the load is heavier from for some people than others. Nonetheless, study show. There are numerous studies that I've read one particular I was reading today, I normally read studies from different colleges around the United States. But today this morning, I was even reading one from the UK. And they all say that parents raising children with disabilities experience depressive symptoms and anxiety higher than parents raising children, typical children. This article was interesting to me because it also pointed out, they experienced reduced income, reduced employment, distress, and they have a significantly higher odds of being diagnosed have a mental health problem than other parents. I found it very alarming as I started reading, because myself I experienced anxiety. I can't say that it was all attributed to being a parent of a child with a disability because I have trauma. We all at some point or another. Well, a lot of us have gone through some level of trauma in our lives. And as I began to go to therapy, I realized that this was just adding more pressure to life. But it was also you know, bringing up trauma that I actually needed to do with and dig into. And so, nonetheless, here we are with mental health Monday, and I give tips every Monday. So I want to start with some ways that you can prioritize your mental health.

 

Looking for a community? Join us In the Support Circle:https://support-circle.mn.co/share/ETNtdrqN7JEfaqX-?utm_source=manual