Episodes

Katie, Certified Child Life Specialist, talks with Meg Casano, mother to Ella who has Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) and also created the nonprofit Medi Teddy which is a stuffed animal cover for intravenous medications. Meg talks about the journey to discover her daughter's diagnosis and how an initial prediction that Ella's ITP would only last six months but has turned out to be a life-long chronic illness. She discusses the financial and emotional challenges that exist when you hav...

In this episode, Katie interviews Delanie, an American and child life student currently living in Beijing. She has been in quarantine since January 27. She shares what quarantine life has been like in China ... the center of the Covid19 pandemic. She shares advice from Chinese families who want Americans to know what the number one thing to have on hand at home is... and she talks about what they say life has been like in quarantine with children. She shares how government and culture have play...

When it comes to the Coronavirus, how we inform our children is incredibly important. If you're wondering though, how can we talk to our kids when we as adults still don't know exactly what's happening, you're not alone. This episode covers suggestions for age-appropriate language to use as well as general considerations to keep in mind as you talk to your children. Children are looking to adults for honest, easy-to-digest information. Break it down into a way that they can understand.

Katie sits down (across the airwaves) with Jamie Gentille, Certified Child Life Specialist, Director of Child Life Services at Inova Children's Hospital, author and self-proclaimed animal themed yoga enthusiast to talk all things cardiac-life in honor of Heart Month. Jamie is living proof that "cardiac babies" can not only survive, but THRIVE in spite of challenges, surgeries and so much more. Today she talks about the Top 10 things she knows now as a Cardiac Baby turned Bad Ass adult. We cover...

This episode is not a cancer story. This is a story about a loving family, a precious child, and how to find miracles during the darkest parts of life. In this episode, Katie interviews Scott Kramer, father to Maddie. Maddie was diagnosed with atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) at just two and a half years old and sadly passed away after 8 months of treatment. However, Maddie's story is far from over. Scott and his wife are founders of Dancing While Cancering, a nonprofit that shares joy ...

This isn't your typical Child Life On Call episode! Katie sits down with two other child life specialists and each talks about their journey into child life, some "child life wins," and the hilarious things that kids have said to them over the years. About twenty minutes in, you'll hear Jamie second guess whether or not she should actually continue with the story she's begun... there are lots of laughs! This is a quick, fun episode that we hope bring you some smiles! Child Life On Call | Inst...

This episode of the Child Life On Call podcast is different that what you're used to hearing, but I fell in LOVE with a book called Tiger Livy and I knew I had to interview the authors. Tiger Livy is the story of a brave six-year-old who inspires empathy, patience, and grit in young readers. It was created for children living with chronic illness but is a great read for any child, even if they're not sick. Co-Authors, Betsy Miller, who experienced her own limitations as a child and Erin Garcia...

This is Lauren's Story - A daughter with congenital heart defects on the Child Life On Call Podcast, hosted by Katie Taylor, Certified Child Life Specialist. Little Everly is just over two years and has more fight and life inside of her than most of us could ever dream of. And she's not the only one… prepare to be amazed by big brother too. Their mom, Lauren, shares with us her optimistic perspective even when they've had had their share of complications and setbacks. Lauren mentions resources...

In this episode you will hear from Gillian, cohost of the For Grits and Giggles podcast. Gillian describe her personal journey that includes a cancer diagnosis for her infant daughter and life altering accident that happened a year after she finished chemotherapy. She shares her own personal struggles in coping and how she sought medical help, and she'll describe how meeting another mom whose life paralleled hers turned into a lifelong friendship and a special bond that will stay with her foreve...

Meredith, mom to now 8-year-old Lola, shares her experience with her daughter who was diagnosed with Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf optic atrophy syndrome (BBSOAS) shortly after she was three-years-old. However, their story didn't begin there. As an adventure, Meredith talks about how she and her husband moved to Costa Rica from Indiana after they were married. Lola was born there and shortly after birth, her mom began having questions about her health and development. From infantile spasms to possible ...

It's a moment that many parents on this podcast have talked about. Your at your ultrasound, pregnant with your child, and all of a sudden the mood of the room changes. Either the technician leaves, or a doctor walks in to "take a closer look" … a million questions and thoughts and fears run through your mind. In today's episode, you will get to hear from Jade Marie from Portsmouth England. At 16 years old and after being told she could never have children, Jade Marie was shocked to learn that s...

After a long fertility journey and a high risk, stressful, and very sick pregnancy, Stephanie gave birth at 26 weeks due to severe preeclampsia. Stephanie, mom to Adeline, shares her experiences in the NICU and describes Addie's difficulty with digestion. A long road of unknowns eventually led to a diagnosis of functional short bowel syndrome. Stephanie shares her perspective about important topics like how having a child with an "invisible disease" can be a blessing and a curse, how she actuall...