Healing Conversations - a One Mission Podcast One Mission

Guest names: Melissa McGovern & Lynn McJohnsonIn 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 ...

Guest Name: Carly TobinIn 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 di...

Guest Name: Mandy GoldmanIn this episode:Mandy is the mother of her son Mateo, a 2x Cancer survivor who was diagnosed at age 8How your social circle changes after diagnosis and how to “keep your cool” while dealing with the impact of cancer in your familyFinding healing and release through Reiki and sound bathsAdding yourself to the bone marrow registry as a potential match for transplant candidatesHaving faith that good things can still happen amidst the confusion and devastation brought on ...

Guest Name: Sam SapersteinSam 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...

Guest Name: Ashley BrownIn 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 ja...

Guest Name: Abby PastyrnakIn 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...