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PODCAST

The Rare Life

Madeline Cheney

This is the real, raw, and all the feels of loving a child with disabilities. Episodes feature parent-guests, professionals, and solo episodes with host Madeline Cheney. Their authentic conversations don’t shy away from the strong and mixed emotions that often accompany medically-complex parenting. Parents listen in to feel seen, validated, and receive much-needed solidarity. Professionals working with disabled people listen in to better understand what is often going on under the surface for a

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

00:26:51

How Your Monthly Cycling Might Be Impacting Your...

The Rare Life ·

2025/06/26

Hormones, cycles, and caregiving—oh my.In this Summer Mini, Madeline is joined by Suzi Boubion to talk about how our menstrual cycles can affect caregiving formedically complex kids. From feeling like a superhero during ovulation to falling apart in the luteal phase, Suzi breaks down the emotional and physical rollercoaster that is living in a cycling body.They talk about the specific ways each phase can show up in caregiving: which days are best for handling appointments, why grief hits harder at

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00:14:37

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Alyssa

The Rare Life ·

2025/06/19

We usually cover a different guest and topic each episode, but this week, we’re peeling back the curtain to get to know Alyssa: the show’s producer, right-hand lady, and longtime member of the community. In this special mini episode, Alyssa shares more about herself, from her life as a caregiver and mom to her love of swimming, salted caramel ice cream, and why getting dressed up feels like the ultimate chore.She talks about going from listener to producer, how she copes with heavy topics, and why

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00:24:30

Book Review: “How to Handle More Than You Can Handle”...

The Rare Life ·

2025/06/12

What does it really mean to care for yourself while raising a disabled child? Not the bubble bath kind of self-care—but the kind that starts with naming your anger, your grief, your jealousy, and not pushing them down just because “good parents don’t feel that way.”In this episode, Amanda Griffith-Atkins joins Alyssa and I to talk about her new book How to Handle More Than You Can Handle: Caring for Yourself While Raising a DisabledChild. Amanda shares what led her to write this book and how the

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00:13:54

Mindfulness for Medical Parents w/ Chrissy McGuire

The Rare Life ·

2025/06/05

Meditation might seem like a luxury when you’re managing meds, appointments, and survival mode. But for some of us, it becomes a lifeline.In this episode, Chrissy McGuire shares how mindfulness helped her survive the NICU, find her footing as a single mom to two disabled kids, and notice the small moments of joy that still exist in the chaos.Chrissy also leads us through a guided meditation, right inside the episode—a short, calming practice you can return to again and again, especially

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00:40:36

192: Season 11 Finale | Poolside Chats with Texas...

The Rare Life ·

2025/05/22

Season 11 is coming to a close, and it’s been one of our most emotional seasons yet. From intense behind-the-scenes chaos to topics that pushed the boundaries of what we’ve covered before—this season stretched us in all the right ways.In this finale episode, I’m joined again by Alyssa to reflect on what made this season both overwhelming and meaningful, from grief and seizures to politics and prenatal diagnoses. We’re also sharing a powerful listener testimonial from Michelle, who describes how her

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00:51:24

191: Abortion + Parents of Disabled Kids w/ Alyssa...

The Rare Life ·

2025/05/15

No one expects to be here. But many of us are.In this episode, Alyssa Nutile and I open up a raw and rarely discussed topic: abortion after a prenatal diagnosis. We talk about how these decisions are shaped by love, by fear, by systemic failures, and by the weight of what it means to bring a child into the world when you know what they might face.We also explore what it means to carry both love and grief into that decision-making space and why so many parents are left feeling like there was never

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00:39:04

190: Colleen’s Story | Epilepsy, Brain Surgery, +...

The Rare Life ·

2025/05/08

Sometimes the only place big enough for the weight you’re carrying is the side of a mountain. That’s where Colleen—and dozens of other moms—learned how to let it out.In this episode, Colleen tells the story of her son Owen’s explosive onset epilepsy, her family's long search for answers, and the brain surgery that changed everything. She opens up about the loneliness of being undiagnosed, the emotional whiplash of unexpected good news, and the identity shift that comes with raising a child with

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00:55:35

189: Grief in Disability Parenting | What it is, Why...

The Rare Life ·

2025/05/01

Grief around our children’s disabilities can take many forms. Some of us are grieving the life we thought we’d have with our child that looks so very different now. Others of us are grieving the very real possibility of losing them too soon.In this episode, therapist and fellow disability parent Amanda Griffith-Atkins joins me to talk about the complicated grief that comes with raising a disabled or medically complex child.We explore how this grief can morph and change, how it shows up

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00:21:35

Mini-episode: Why we are delaying our next few...

The Rare Life ·

2025/04/24

For the first time in The Rare Life history... we need a little extra time to work on the next few episodes. Not because we haven’t been preparing and planning, but because some current events have thrown a wrench into the works.In this episode, Madeline and Alyssa talk generally about some of the recent events that have come up, how the community has been feeling about it, what it says about the world we’re living in right now, and why some of the upcoming topics needed just a little

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01:11:18

188: Belief Systems + Ways They’re Affected by...

The Rare Life ·

2025/04/17

When you’re the parent of a medically complex or disabled child, the experience touches every aspect of our life – including our faith, often in unique and surprising ways.Today, I’m sharing a vulnerable and tender episode, where I interviewed four different women, each coming to the table with their own different spiritual backgrounds, to share how their faith has changed since having a child with a medical complexity. Ali Miller, Rachel Alves, Melissa Kellylove, and Bethany

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01:05:01

187: Do You Miss Who You Used to Be Prior To...

The Rare Life ·

2025/04/10

For a lot of us, the answer isn’t simple. You can miss your lighter, less-traumatized self and feel proud of who you’ve become.That’s the tension so many of us sit in as medical parents: grieving the carefree, well-rested version of ourselves while also seeing strength, resilience, and depth we didn’t know we had.In this episode, I’m joined by Alyssa Nutile to unpack the big, messy feelings that come with identity loss, personality shifts, and how we change when our child’s life is on the line, plus

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00:59:12

186: Leah’s Story | Faith, Nurturing Sibling...

The Rare Life ·

2025/04/03

When Leah Crum gave birth to her daughter Camilla, she had no idea she was about to be launched into a world of medical unknowns, an undiagnosed rare condition, and 118 days in the NICU.In this episode, Leah talks about the emotional whiplash of life in the NICU, the slow heartbreak of delayed diagnoses, and the grief that comes with being told your child may not live to adulthood.We also talk about what it means to create an inclusive family, not just for Camilla, but for her neurotypical little

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00:54:06

BONUS: The Current Political Climate + How Disability...

The Rare Life ·

2025/03/27

When the systems your child depends on are under threat, it doesn’t feel political—it feels personal.In this episode, Madeline and Alyssa unpack the deep unfairness of having to constantly justify your child’s worth while watching essential supports unravel in real time. They also discuss the fury that bubbles up when people call your fear “political,” the heartbreak of realizing who around you doesn’t care, and the exhaustion of never being allowed to rest.This isn’t about debates or party

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00:49:15

185: Medical Parent Trauma | Dealing with Triggers +...

The Rare Life ·

2025/03/20

There are certain moments that never leave you—the sight of your child turning blue, the smell of hospital-grade hand sanitizer, the feeling of helplessness as doctors take over. Medical trauma doesn’t just happen to our kids. It happens to us too.In this episode, therapist Rosey Schaefermeyer joins us for a deep dive into how medical trauma shapes parents, how it lingers in our bodies and minds, and why it’s so easy to feel stuck in survival mode. Rosey shares how trauma builds on itself, why some

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00:34:29

184: Rachel’s Story | Widowed During Pregnancy,...

The Rare Life ·

2025/03/13

At 28 weeks pregnant with her third child, Rachel experienced the unimaginable—losing her husband in a sudden tragedy. What followed was a whirlwind of grief, survival mode, and a cross-country move while still carrying her son, Wells. But it wasn’t until after his birth that another challenge emerged: developmental delays, medical concerns, and the beginning of a diagnostic odyssey.In this episode, Rachel shares her family’s long road to a rare diagnosis, the complicated emotions of realizing your

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01:11:21

183: Epilepsy | Unpredictability + Emotional Toll it...

The Rare Life ·

2025/03/06

Imagine living on high alert, every second of every day. That’s life with severe, uncontrolled epilepsy. You’re always watching, always listening, always bracing for the next seizure. And when they happen multiple times a day, there’s no break. No way to ever fully relax.In Ep 183 of The Rare Life, Hailey Atkison shares the raw reality of parenting a child with severe, refractory epilepsy. She talks about the emotional toll of watching her daughter, Juniper, seize multiple times a day, the way it

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00:48:35

182: Hobbies for Disability Parents | Why We Need...

The Rare Life ·

2025/02/27

When your life revolves around medical schedules, appointments, and constant caregiving, hobbies can feel a little unnecessary. Where do we find the time? The energy? The mental bandwidth?It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that any time spent on ourselves is selfish. But for many of us, finding ways to adapt our hobbies to fit into our medicalized life can be game-changing.In Ep 182 of The Rare Life, Amanda Griffith-Atkins joins me to dive into all things hobbies: the loss of identity

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00:44:28

181: Kait’s Story | Fertility Struggles, A Surviving...

The Rare Life ·

2025/02/20

When Kait Parrish found out she was pregnant with twins, she imagined matching outfits, sibling giggles, and the life she had always dreamed of. Instead, at 24 weeks, she gave birth to two fragile babies fighting for survival in the NICU. Then, two weeks later, she lost one of them.In this raw and deeply personal episode, Kait shares the heartbreak of losing Avery, the terrifying rollercoaster of Addie’s early medical battles, and how her perspective on parenting shifted when she became pregnant

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00:59:30

180: Does Disability Parenting Ever Get Easier?...

The Rare Life ·

2025/02/13

The age old question: Does this life ever get easier? And if so, when?Just as you might expect, the answer isn’t quite cut and dry, but in this episode, I’m joined by Erica Stearns and Alyssa Nutile to sort through this complex question. Using their Caregiver Continuum framework, they offer a way for you to orient yourself and gain footing as a disability parent, even if life doesn’t always feel like it’s getting easier.If you’ve been feeling lost and overwhelmed in this parenting journey, this

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01:09:23

179: The Exhaustion of Being a Disability Parent w/...

The Rare Life ·

2025/02/06

The exhaustion that comes with disability parenting isn’t just about sleep deprivation.It’s everything else too: the mental exhaustion of managing a child’s entire medical life. The weight of being the only one who knows all the details. The grief. The fear. The constant pressure of doing everything right with so little support. And that’s just scratching the surface.In this episode of The Rare Life, I’m joined by our producer, Alyssa Nutile, to share responses from the community about all the

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