Children's Hospital Archives

Boy in White Powder by Laura Gordon

Episode 8: Welcome to Holland

Post published:September 15, 2022
Post category:Podcast Season 1
Reading time:3 mins read

On this episode of Badass, Kate McQueen shares the story of her son's Keenan’s birth, and the terrifying period of time shortly after, when Keenan hovered between life and death on several occasions. His tiny body was wracked with seizures that were damaging his brain, and at first Kate struggled to get help for him, all the while knowing something was terribly wrong. Finally, Kate was able to get a Dr.’s attention, and at that point it became clear that baby Keenan’s life was in danger.

Victor and Cancer

Episode 5: Extra or Extraordinary? A Mom Navigates Childhood Cancer with Dana Malan

Post published:August 4, 2022
Post category:Podcast Season 1
Reading time:2 mins read

On this episode of Badass Dana Malan shares the story of her son Victor’s Leukemia diagnosis at age 5. We explore her family’s sudden entrance into the world of childhood cancer, which involved painful, and sometimes traumatic treatments for Victor. Dana was called on to be an advocate for her son, a task that is not easy in a world that often labels women who speak up as "extra". Dana found herself navigating this while working full time, and with another child who was just a year old when Victor was diagnosed. Thankfully, Victor survived childhood Leukemia and is doing well today. We close this episode with an excerpt from Marabai's soon to be published memoir, Holding Hope.

Badass: Tales of Resilience podcast offers listeners a deep dive into the difficult, transformative, and sometimes heartbreaking experiences of our guests, and shines a light on how we, as humans, navigate these experiences. Marabai noticed how deeply moving it was to sit with survivors in her therapy practice, and be given the chance to witness how creative and strong people can be when they experience trauma.