Have you ever felt something so strongly in your bones and yet everyone you turn to dismisses your concerns? Maybe they tell you you're over-reacting. Maybe they even tell you there's something wrong with you for not letting go of your instincts. What if your child's life were at stake?

Navigating misdiagnoses and medical gaslighting, Karen DeBonis discusses the arduous journey she embarked on to ascertain her son's actual medical condition.

Karen began to question herself and doubted her fortitude for motherhood, ultimately needing to overcome her instinct for people pleasing and unleash her inner "she bear" to make the medical community and even her own family take her seriously. Finally, desperation broke through her fear of conflict, and she demanded answers, only to be horrified by the truth.

Brain surgery and a promise of complete recovery for her son convinced Karen her battle was over. But she was wrong. The ensuing years launched her on a journey of perseverance and personal growth she never imagined, teaching Karen just how weak she is, and then exactly how strong.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How to learn to trust your own instincts despite persistent resistance
• Why the weak can be stronger than the strong
• What post-traumatic growth can look like
• And so much more...

Karen's debut memoir "Growth: A Mother, Her Son, and the Brain Tumor They Survived," was released by Apprentice House Press in May 2023. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, HuffPost, Newsweek.com, Today.com, and numerous literary journals.

Learn more about Karen:
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Music credit: Limitless by Bells