Speaking
For close to two decades, I have shared my family’s story of hope in the valley of chronic illness with audiences large and small. As a member of the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) National Speaker’s Bureau, I have extensive experience speaking to parents about the psycho-social impact of chronic disease on the family. The seeds for my book Chronic Hope were initially sown at a JDRF education summit where I shared how T1D has impacted every member of my family. The themes of that talk—how the caregiver responds to the diagnosis and the disease, the complicated relationship between caregiver and child, and the complex relationships between the couple and among the siblings—eventually formed the outline for the book.
Gleaning from a lifetime of experience, I share with audiences how they can accept their new reality and discover a way forward. Woven through my personal stories is a message of hope that invites the listener to move beyond fear and live instead with grace, courage, and love. Drawing on my experiences as a mother, wife, and sister, I distill practical, actionable advice with clarity, grace, and a little bit of humor.
If you’re interested in having me share the message of Chronic Hope at an upcoming event, please contact me!
The keynote Fund A Cure speech at the JDRF Promise Ball in Philadelphia which raised over $1.2 million for diabetes research.
“We had an overwhelmingly positive response to your breakout sessions! Thank you so much for inspiring and empowering local families living with T1D. Your message gave them actionable steps and best of all, hope! On behalf of the 300+ attendees, we really appreciate you!”
“Thank you for taking the time to share your story, as well as your thoughts on the importance of emotional well-being for caregivers with the attendees at our Wisconsin Type One Nation Summit. It’s such an important topic and yet it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. We appreciate you shining a light on it for us! Your message resonated with so many in the room!”
“The emotions (you shared) certainly transcend all situations when dealing with T1D. You are courageous for telling your story. So many in the room needed to hear it—including me.”
- “Wonderful presentation – hit right on target with how we were feeling. Thank you!”
- “We learned about managing our feelings in a better way.”
- “So much new information, new ideas that I can really relate to!”
- “Glad you mentioned ‘do not feel guilty.’ Excellent presentation!”