082: Bringing Peace & Joy to Families with Pediatric Cancer with Jenna Kmitch

Joy In The Journey

Caring for a newly diagnosed child going through a medical journey can be scary and overwhelming. Especially when finding resources meant to support you, like Child Life Specialists, requires extensive research and planning.

This is why I am so grateful to our guest today, Jenna Kmitch, for courageously sharing what her process looks like beside her daughter Sydney, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma just a few weeks after birth.

Jenna is the founder of Love Smiles, an organization dedicated to bringing moments of peace and joy to families with pediatric cancer through stories.

Today, she shares her experience and advice on navigating surgeries, treatments, PICU stays, and returning home and how to enjoy parenthood through it all. Jenna found joy in her journey by leaning on her baby’s resilience and the community and medical staff that showed up for her, and she hopes to inspire others to do the same.

Key Takeaways with Jenna Kmitch

• The challenges of becoming a mom during a pandemic
• Navigating a baby’s cancer diagnosis
• Processing the risks & results of infant surgery
• The role of child life specialists in the PICU
• How to lean on nurses and doctors for additional support
• The stages of grieving a diagnosis
• Finding yourself as a mom during caretaking

Show Notes:

Get Full Access to the Show Notes by visiting: MatteasJoy.org/82.

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