Guest names: Melissa McGovern & Lynn McJohnson In this episode: Lynn and Melissa both met Ashley while volunteering at One Mission helping kids get through cancer.  As a same-sex couple who had tried to have children on their own only to find that this wasn’t their path, they decided to adopt. They attended classes for prospective parents at their local library in their home state of Connecticut to learn more about the adoption process. They discuss the lengthy process of their adoption experience, from informative classes, to licensure, background checks, and more over the course of ..read more

Guest Name: Carly Tobin In this episode: Carly was diagnosed with Wilms tumor at a young age. The beginning of her journey was surrounded with surgeries and hospital stays while she tried to maintain some degree of normalcy in her childhood. Carly worked hard to maintain her friendships and connection to her dance team during the time she spent in the hospital. Her team would show their support by calling her after practice, and she even made new friends on the hospital floor. Carly and Ashley discuss the impact that One Mission had on Carly’s experience while she was receiving treatments. On ..read more

Guest Name: Mandy Goldman In this episode: Mandy is the mother of her son Mateo, a 2x Cancer survivor who was diagnosed at age 8 How your social circle changes after diagnosis and how to “keep your cool” while dealing with the impact of cancer in your family Finding healing and release through Reiki and sound baths Adding yourself to the bone marrow registry as a potential match for transplant candidates Having faith that good things can still happen amidst the confusion and devastation brought on by cancer Throughout your journey, taking the time to focus on creating good memories to erase ..read more

Guest Name: Sam Saperstein Sam and Ashley met through One Mission; Sam had previously volunteered for the Buzz Off and her father had been the auctioneer for a One Mission Gala event. Sam was happily married in 2017 and she and her husband welcomed their son Mason into the world on March 16, 2020. Mason was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome: a cranial facial syndrome that affects people’s facial features, and how those features develop. It can vary from mild (unnoticeable) to severe. Treacher Collins Syndrome in many cases also involves varying degrees of hearing loss. Ashley and Sam recall ..read more

Guest Name: Ashley Brown In this episode: Ashley Brown is the Founder and CEO of Selfless Love Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that leverages resources, expertise, and proven solutions to improve the child welfare system, creating opportunities for more foster youth to find their forever families and thrive in adulthood. Ashley was put up for adoption as a baby, and through elementary school she wore that fact as a sense of pride. In her own words, she always felt she had “hit the family jackpot.” She describes the ripple effect of when a family decides to adopt a child, therefore chan ..read more

Guest Name: Abby Pastyrnak In this Episode: Abby Pastyrnak is the Managing Director at One Mission. She has been with One Mission since before her two separate cancer diagnoses, and in today’s episode she shares her story. Abby describes her journey of her diagnosis. Her initial diagnosis was a shock, and after regrouping she took on a positive mental attitude that gave her the confidence to look forward. She learned the news of her Stage 4 diagnosis just months after meeting her husband, and the world was simultaneously bracing for the impact of the pandemic. The “privacy factor,” building y ..read more

Guest Name: Kemberly Mauricio In this episode: Kemberly and Michael are parents to a child who, at age 13, told them that they would like to transition from male to female. Amidst the shock, Kemberly responds with compassion and puts in her own words, “I don’t understand this; I love you; I have a lot to learn, and I’m here for you.” Kemberly shares her support for her child while still taking a conservative approach through talking with her pediatrician, therapy for her and her child, extensive research of her own, and maintaining a family support system for Alex.  Ashley and Kemberly d ..read more

Guest name: Chris Chapin In this episode: Chris discusses his healing journey and recalls his decision to get sober as a young man. After a noticing a pattern of what he described as, “a negative loop of bad decisions,” he decided to make a change by the age of 20. Hitting the reset button in life while the environment around you might not match that trajectory. Maintaining your focus on one day at a time, centering, finding your identity through sobriety, and keeping it together. Learning how to take inventory on your life, how to take accountability for your own actions, how to get honest ..read more

Guest Name: Jim DeSimone In this episode: Jim recalls the difficult experiences that led to him self-medicating with alcohol - a history of anxiety since childhood, and an eventual divorce in his adult life. He noticed abnormal patterns in his drinking and sought help through Alcoholics Anonymous. Jim describes how the 12-steps of AA have helped him regain control over his life, and his personal relationships. Taking a personal inventory to eventually identify the fears he let drive him through life. The desire to give back to the organization that helped him get his own life in order by bein ..read more

Guest Name: Kristen Benjamin In this episode: Kristen recalls the diagnosis of her daughter Paisley in 2018, spending 44 days in the hospital during initial treatment Paisley's condition taking a turn for the worse at the beginning of treatment, while simultaneously learning that Paisley's father passed away Kristen's story of healing through the devastation of being a single mom raising a child with cancer Controlling the waves of guilt and anxiety as a mother whose child has cancer “Live through tragedy and you can persevere, there is hope for healing.” - Ashley Haseotes This is a One Mi ..read more