Frequently asked questions

1. Who are your classes for?

These classes are for you if you are a parent with a chronic health condition that meets one or more of the following criteria:

• lasts one year or longer and requires ongoing medical attention
• interferes with or limits your daily activities including socializing with friends and family, working, attending your child’s events, or running errands
• causes ongoing symptoms and flare ups
• is worsening over time
• is in remission but might come back
• causes frequent and unpredictable hospitalizations
• requires you to take medicine or receive other treatments (for example, dialysis) to survive

2. What if I meet the criteria above but I don’t have a diagnosis yet?

I’m so sorry if you’re in that situation right now. All too many of us know what it’s like to be lost in the wilderness between when our symptoms start and when we get correctly diagnosed. It takes an average of 4.5 years for an autoimmune disease to be diagnosed and that jumps up to 6.5 years for genetic diseases.

Not to mention the 300 million people living with a rare disease that may or may not have a name or treatment. So even if you don’t yet know what is causing your symptoms, if you meet any of the criteria above, you belong here.

3. I see your classes are open to people with a wide range of conditions. How can I be sure the class will meet the needs of my particular condition?

One of the most amazing things I have found in my research is that even though the parents I work with struggle with a wide range of conditions that cause unique symptoms and require specific treatments, their concerns when it comes to parenting are almost identical.

They don’t know how to talk to their child about new diagnoses, flare ups, or a worsening condition; they are anxious about when the next unexpected hospitalization or medical emergency might strike; they struggle with the six big emotions common to living with a chronic condition—grief, guilt, anger, fear, anxiety, and shame; they aer unsure of how to plan for the future; they are don’t know what to talk about with their doctors when it comes to fertility, medication during pregnancy, childbirth, parenting limitations, and so on.

My hope is that these classes will help parents realize they are part of a dynamic, incredible community of more than a billion other parents living with unpredictable and sometimes debilitating chronic conditions and that they are not alone.

4. I can’t make it to the class, but I’d love to see what you talked about. Can I watch a recording?

I do not record the classes to protect the privacy of the participants. However, you can watch videos on some of the key topics on the resources page.

If you’d like to see a certain class repeated, please feel free to send me a note. And if you are a member of a foundation devoted to your condition, you could send them a request to have me offer a training for their members. This is something I do often and I love it.

5. How long are the classes?

The classes are typically one hour long with ten minutes set aside for questions at the end.

6. How do I sign up?

Click on the link above for the class you’d like to sign up for. It will take you to the sign up page in Eventbrite. Once you sign up, you’ll get a confirmation email. Then you’ll get a reminder email before the class with the Zoom link you will use to attend the class.