Wow! If you want to hear what it sounds like to go to the depths of trauma — and then find a way to bring yourself to a place of pure triumph in moving forward and reclaiming a joyful, meaningful and purposeful life — stop reading and immediately push the play button for this podcast!

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Technically, our topic was “Parenting A Child In Crisis”, but after the show ended I decided it should really be called, “Proof that Trauma Can Be Overcome.” Here’s why…. With four fantastic survivor guests we covered:

• impact of trauma
• ways to begin moving forward
• delayed onset of post-trauma symptoms
• isolation
• the power of simple acts
• the benefit of alternative therapies
• making something meaningful come out of trauma

And that’s just skimming the surface! You will both learn and feel so much from these brave women. I hope it all touches your heart as much as it touched mine with the spirit of resilience.

MEET MY GUESTS:

Deb Discenza the mother of Becky, a 30-weeker now 9 years old.  She is the co-Founder of PreemieWorld, LLC (www.PreemieWorld.com) and the co-Author of “The Preemie Parent’s Survival Guide to the NICU.”  Prior to this Ms. Discenza was the Founder and former Publisher of Preemie Magazine and an executive in the technology and publishing industries.  She is a founding member of the Preemie Parent Alliance (www.PreemieParentAlliance.org) as well as the National Premature Infant Health Coalition (www.NPIHC.org) as well as a columnist for the Neonatal Network Journal as well as for the Council of International Neonatal Nurses.

Keira Sorrells is the mother of triplets born at 25 weeks, 5 days gestation. The collective birth weight of the three girls was a mere 4lbs 4oz and one of them spent 291 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Together with her husband of 14 years, Richard Sorrells, Keira founded the Zoe Rose Memorial Foundation in October of 2008 after the sudden and untimely death of one of her daughters (Zoe Rose) at the age of only 14 months.

The Zoe Rose Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3), public non-profit, whose purpose is: To provide resources and support to parents experiencing a high risk pregnancy, living in the NICU with their preterm infant(s), transitioning home with their recently discharged medically fragile infants, or raising a former preemie with special needs through education, outreach & one-on-one parent support. The Foundation also provides support & resources for families experiencing a pregnancy or infant loss.

Keira’s personal tragedies and triumphs, have led her to advocate for these infants who cannot speak for themselves and for their families who all too often are suffering from the traumatic effects associated with losing a baby and/or having a critically ill baby in the NICU. She has been invited to speak at several local, regional, and national healthcare related conferences including the National Premature Infant Health Coalition Summit (June 2012), MedImmune Prematurity Summits in Chicago & Austin (Oct 2011), Mississippi Perinatal Association Annual Conference (July 2011), AWHONN Jackson Section Annual Conference (upcoming November 2012), National Association of  Neonatal Nurses (future, Oct 2013), as well as educational sessions for Senior Nursing Students at the University of Mississippi School of Nursing.

Keira is also the Co-founder and serves as the Director of Operations for the Preemie Parent Alliance (PPA), a national network of parent led support organizations with a focus on preterm infants and their families. For the first time in history, parents of premature infants have a formal role within the National Premature Infant Health Coalition (NPIHC) as Keira is the parent representative on the Steering Committee. NPIHC is a collaborative of professional, clinical, community health, and family support organizations focused on improving the lives of premature infants and their families. Members of NPIHC include esteemed organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Perinatal Association, and National Association of Neonatal Nurses, among others. She is also the parent representative on the Mississippi Perinatal Association’s Board of Directors and leads the Mississippi Infant Health Alliance.

For more information visit and connect:

Blog “Tripled Pink” http://3sorrells.blogspot.com

Twitter: @tripledpink, @PreemieParentAl, @ZoeRoseMemFoun

Kasey Mathews is a mother of two – her son, born on his due date at an even 8 pounds, and her daughter, born half way through her pregnancy, weighing 1 pound 11 ounces. Kasey is a writer and author of the memoir, Preemie: Lessons in Love, Life and Motherhood, in which she openly and honestly shares her fears and uncertainties about life as a preemie mom. Kasey considers herself a “student in the lessons of everyday life,” and regularly observes and finds unexpected meaning in seemingly ordinary events. Her life-lessons and stories can be found on her website http://www.kaseymathews.com.

Kelli D. Kelley is the mother of two children born preterm – Jackson Thomas born at 24 weeks in 2000 and Lauren Elizabeth born at 34 weeks in 2003. She has invested her time and talents during the past 10 years to raise awareness of the growing problem of preterm birth and to support families who share her experience. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Hand to Hold, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive navigation resources and support for parents of preemies, babies born with special health care needs and those who experience loss due to these or other complications.

In 2011, Kelli was selected as a parent liaison and spokesperson for the National Perinatal Association as they work to facilitate the development of Multidisciplinary Guidelines for the Care of Late-Preterm Infants. She was asked to participate in Pediatric Grand Rounds at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio in 2011. Kelli has provided keynote addresses for conferences, such as the Texas Premature Infant Health Summit, the Educational Summit on Prematurity at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and the Association of Women’s Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses Texas Section Conference.

Kelli was named a 2011 Local Hero through Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative® and a 2011 Health Care Hero through the Austin Business Journal. She is the 2010 recipient of the Austin Under 40 Award for Medical and Health Care, and an ENERGIZER Keep Going Hall of Fame Semifinalist. Kelli serves on the leadership team of the Preemie Parent Alliance. She is a past President of the Austin chapter of the Association for Women in Communications and a graduate of Leadership Austin.

In 2005, the Kelley family served as the Ambassador family for the Austin division of the March of Dimes. Kelli served on the Austin division Board of Directors of the March of Dimes for four years and was selected to serve on the National Mission Volunteer Advisory Council for two years.

Prior to the birth of her children, Kelli worked in public relations with the The Arc of the Capital Area as the Public Relations Coordinator and then as the Development Coordinator for the Mental Health Association in Texas. She went on to work for Cunningham Communication, a national high-tech public relations agency, as a Public Relations Manager and Marketing Coordinator where she received numerous promotions and awards for her leadership and accomplishments.

Kelli received a bachelor of journalism degree from The University of Texas at Austin. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, children and friends, reading, cooking, exercising and participating in Bible study. For more information visit: www.handtohold.org