A PLACE OF YES podcast

“We are living every day with the fact that our son died, that our son who was supposed to be alive is not.” –Heather Straughter

Heather Straughter was 36 when her four-year-old son Jake suddenly died. Now, 13 years later Heather is sharing how the only way she could move forward was by channeling her grief for good and finding “A Place of Yes.”

“All I can say is, you can dig deep, figure out where you are, and figure out where you want to be, and for me, I found the answer was in this place of yes,” Heather said.

Adoption & Hidden Grief

Heather Straughter and Francine Apy discuss the importance of openly discussing adoption, particularly in the context of grief and trauma.

Parenting a Dying Child | Life After Menkes Diagnosis

After losing his son Lucas to Menkes Syndrome at just 11 years old, Daniel DeFabio dedicated himself to the rare disease community.

Teen cancer patient Olivia Allen’s final words & the “Live like Liv” legacy

“Dear God, I just want to live…” was the last journal entry made by 18-year-old Olivia Allen. The Saratoga Springs teen was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a rare form of cancer, and passed away within the same year – shocking her community.