Ep. 32 Melissa Johnston: From Spending Nights in the NICU to Advocating for Change
Melissa Johnston’s Flip Your Script story comes from the traditionally joyful time of starting a family. At age 27, Melissa and her husband welcomed their first-born daughter, Audrey, only to lose her at just 43 days old. She was born with the life-limiting condition, Trisomy 18, also known as Edward’s Syndrome. While trying to navigate countless conversations with NICU doctors and nurses, as well as their own emotions, the first-time parents realized there weren’t many support resources for families and children experiencing life-limiting conditions. Three years after Audrey’s passing, Melissa learned of Crescent Cove, one of three respite and hospice care facilities for children with life-limiting conditions in the United States. From that day forward, Melissa has done everything she can to raise awareness about the need for more facilities like Crescent Cove in the U.S. and is a regular volunteer and member of the Philanthropy Committee and Speaker’s Bureau for Crescent Cove. In this episode, Melissa joins friend and host of Flip Your Script Kristi Piehl to share her family’s story of having four kids: three that run and one that flies. She also explains her passion for sharing Crescent Cove’s mission and how to help someone dealing with grief, loss or tragedy.
CLOSING QUOTES
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”
“Nobody is promised tomorrow. Nobody has a sticker on their head walking around saying how long they’re going to live. Audrey is no different than any other baby so just take care of her and love her.”