The Rare Life

Madeline Cheney
  • 5.0 (149)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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 family living with disabilities.

  1. 5D AGO

    213: Deonna’s Story | A Childhood Injury & Stroke + Healing After Sudden Life Changes

    Many of us start our disability parent journey early in our child’s life, with signs that something is medically awry sometimes as early as birth or in utero. But that’s not the story for Deonna. Instead, a seemingly minor injury for her four year old daughter Allie led to a medical event that changed the course of their lives in an instant. In this episode, Deonna shares what happened after her daughter suffered a stroke, from the months in the hospital, the acclimation to life at home with a medically complex child and in-home nursing, and the long road to reclaim her mental and emotional health in the aftermath. From all the ways her community changed to the impact on siblings of disabled children, Deonna covers so much ground in this episode. If you’ve ever felt like your life has been turned upside down and you’re worried that you’ll never feel grounded again, this episode will offer you a warm embrace and so much hope. And our FUEL The Rare Life fundraiser is live! Help us fund the podcast for another year by sharing our fundraiser with your loved ones and community so we can keep supporting you! Learn more here. Links: Share our FUEL The Rare Life fundraiser! Listen to Ep 211: Trachs & Vents. Listen to the Raising Disabled podcast. Follow Deonna on Instagram @deonnawadeart! Follow Raising Disabled on Instagram @raisingdisabledpodcast! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life! Join The Rare Life newsletter and never miss an update! Fill out our contact form to join upcoming discussion groups! Donate to the podcast or Contact me about sponsoring an episode.

    1h 6m

  2. FEB 5

    212: Surgeries | The Feelings We Have Before, During, and After + How Families Cope w/ Madeline

    Surgery of some kind or another is a near universal experience for medically complex kids. (And yes, procedures that involve anesthesia or something similar count too!) And these experiences don’t just affect our children, but our entire families. In this episode of The Rare Life, Alyssa and Madeline dig into all of the big feelings that come up before, during and after our kid’s surgeries, the heart-rending questions we ask ourselves when deciding which surgeries are necessary, and advice from the community for getting through these tough moments. Whether you’re planning for an upcoming surgery for your child or you’ve been through one in the past and feel like you’re still processing, there’s something for you in this episode. And our FUEL The Rare Life fundraiser is live! Help us fund the podcast for another year by sharing our fundraiser with your loved ones and community so we can keep supporting you! Learn more here. Links: Share our FUEL The Rare Life fundraiser! Listen to Ep 170: Hospitalizations. Listen to Ep 180: Does It Get Easier? Listen to Ep 140: A Mistaken Brain Surgery (Alyssa’s Story). Join The Rare Life newsletter and never miss an update! Fill out our contact form to join upcoming discussion groups! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life! Donate to the podcast or Contact me about sponsoring an episode.

    1h 13m

  3. JAN 29

    211: Trachs & Vents | Fear, Hypervigilance, & Finding a New Normal w/ Ashley Caywood

    What does it mean to bring home a child whose breathing depends on a piece of medical equipment? For many families, the idea of a trach is terrifying long before it ever becomes reality. And even after, the fear doesn’t magically disappear. In this episode of The Rare Life, Alyssa is joined by Ashley Caywood to talk honestly about life with a trach and ventilator. We hear from parents who knew this decision was coming and from others who were blindsided by it, from families who hoped it would be temporary and those who’ve had to come to terms with permanence. We talk about hypervigilance, sleep deprivation, the impossible responsibility of keeping your child breathing at home, and the strange duality of fear and gratitude that so many trach parents carry at the same time. If you’re facing trach conversations now, living with one already, or trying to understand what this life actually looks like beyond the hospital walls, this episode offers realism, validation, and the reminder that you’re not alone in holding all of this. Thank you to the generous sponsors for today’s episode, Imagine Pediatrics.⁠ And don’t forget to join us on Feb 1st to kick off our FUEL The Rare Life fundraiser! Links: Learn more about Imagine Pediatrics. Listen to Ep 139: In-Home Nursing. Listen to Ep 90: Living with Sleep Deprivation. Join The Rare Life newsletter andnever miss an update! Fill out our contact form to joinupcoming discussion groups! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life! Donateto the podcast or Contactme about sponsoring an episode. Follow the Facebook page. Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions. And if you love this podcast, please leave usa rating or review in your favorite podcast app

    1h 12m

  4. JAN 22

    210: Receiving Judgement for Disability Parent Decisions w/ Madeline

    Living a medically complex life means making constant decisions under a microscope. About treatments. About schools. About rest. About what’s “enough.” And no matter what you choose, it often feels like someone is ready to tell you that you chose wrong. In this episode, Madeline and Alyssa talk about judgment: where it comes from, how it shows up, and why it cuts so deeply for parents of disabled and medically complex kids. From medical teams and family members to disability spaces and even other caregivers, judgment has a way of creeping into places we hoped would feel safe. This conversation also explores what it takes to rebuild trust in yourself after years of being second-guessed, and how many parents eventually reach a place of saying, “I am the expert here,” even when that comes with loss, boundary-setting, or strained relationships. If you’ve ever felt like no choice is the “right” one, or like you’re parenting under a microscope, this episode will resonate.

    1h 9m

  5. JAN 15

    209: Kenya’s Story | When Lightning Strikes Twice + Trusting Your Instincts

    When Kenya’s daughter was six, her body began changing in ways that felt impossible to ignore, even as doctors insisted it was normal. What followed was a long stretch of doubt, dismissal, and self-questioning, until Kenya finally found a specialist who confirmed what she had known all along: her daughter was experiencing precocious puberty. In this episode, Kenya shares what it was like to fight for answers, navigate bias in pediatric care, and hold space for a child whose body and emotions were changing before she was ready. She also talks about the shock of facing the same diagnosis again with her second daughter, and how experience can simultaneously make you feel more prepared while still reopening old grief. If you’ve ever had to trust your instincts and fight for a diagnosis your child needed, this conversation will hit close to home. Links: Join The Rare Life newsletter and never miss an update! Fill out our contact form to join upcoming discussion groups! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life! Donate to the podcast or Contact me about sponsoring an episode. Follow the Facebook page. Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions. And if you love this podcast, please leave usa rating or review in your favorite podcast app

    47 min

  6. JAN 9

    208: Season 13 Kickoff | A New Theme + Sneak Peeks

    Season 13 is here, and this time the focus is on our children’s disabilities themselves. This season, we’ll be talking about things like navigating surgeries and procedures, trachs and vents, behavioral diagnoses, schooling options, sexual health and safety, feeling judgment, and more. As always, there will be story episodes woven throughout the season, featuring parents sharing their experiences in their own words. We’re also sharing a few updates in this episode, including how hosting will look this season, details about our February Friends & Family Fundraiser during Rare Disease Month, and discussion groups, including the launch of our first international group. Finally, we’re wrapping up this season opener with clips from the first few episodes. Don't miss it! Links: Join The Rare Life newsletter andnever miss an update! Fill out our contact form to joinupcoming discussion groups! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life! Donateto the podcast or Contactme about sponsoring an episode. Follow the Facebook page. Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions. Access the transcript on the website here. And if you love this podcast, please leave usa rating or review in your favorite podcast app!

    16 min
  7. 207: Season 12 Finale | Switching Hosts, Behind the Scenes + A Unanimous Favorite

    12/11/2025

    207: Season 12 Finale | Switching Hosts, Behind the Scenes + A Unanimous Favorite

    Season 12 is coming to a close, and it’s been a season of big shifts. With Alyssa stepping in to host every episode and Madeline handling more behind-the-scenes projects, the podcast sounded a little different, but still hit all the same emotional notes. We also covered some especially heavy community topics, from family planning to marriage to familial rejection, which shaped the tone of the season in a really meaningful way. In this finale episode, we’re sharing a quick look behind the scenes of what Season 12 was actually like for us, plus a full recap of the season through all the intro clips. We’re also playing three listener takeaways, where Cary, Meghan, and Michelle share the episodes that resonated with them most this season. And finally, we’re giving you a little peek at Season 13 on the topic of our children’s disabilities, including long-requested topics like the NICU experience and how moms and dads are taken seriously (or not) in medical settings. Thank you for listening, supporting Sticker Club, and being part of this community. We can’t wait to be back with you in January. Links: Join The Rare Life newsletter andnever miss an update! Fill out our contact form to joinupcoming discussion groups! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life! Donateto the podcast or Contactme about sponsoring an episode. Follow the Facebook page. Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions. And if you love this podcast, please leave usa rating or review in your favorite podcast app!

    35 min
  8. 206: When Family Rejects Your Disabled Child + the Hurt it Causes w/ Madeline

    12/04/2025

    206: When Family Rejects Your Disabled Child + the Hurt it Causes w/ Madeline

    When a family member rejects your disabled or medically complex child, whether through subtle distancing or outright exclusion, it creates a kind of hurt that’s difficult to shake. In this episode, Madeline and Alyssa talk through the many ways that rejection shows up in families: minimizing your child’s needs, ignoring their diagnosis, designing gatherings your family can’t access, ghosting you because emotionally engaging is too hard, or outright excluding or belittling your child. Drawing from hundreds of community responses, we explore the emotional impact of these experiences—the isolation, the grief, the disappointment, and the shift in how we see these family bonds once these hurtful patterns emerge. We also touch on the clarity that can come from moments like this: boundaries that become necessary, expectations that change, and the people who rise to the occasion when others don’t. If you’ve ever felt this kind of hurt from the people closest to you, we hope you feel seen and understood after this episode. And a big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, the makers of the incredible documentary, The Zebra & The Bear! Links: Watch The Zebra & The Bear (coming to streaming platforms the day after Thanksgiving!) Fill out our contact form to join upcoming discussion groups! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life! Donate to the podcast or Contact me about sponsoring an episode. Follow the Facebook page. Join the Facebook group Parents of Children with Rare Conditions. And if you love this podcast, please leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcast app.

    1h 8m
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Trailer

5
out of 5
149 Ratings

About

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 family living with disabilities.

Information

  • Creator
    Madeline Cheney
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    285
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Madeline Cheney
  • Show Website
    The Rare Life

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