Our 1:1 Peer Support Mentorship program is built upon the foundation of respecting and valuing all unique experiences within the HIE community. Our mentors are not only trauma-trained and led by our licensed medical social worker, Haley, but they are also integral and diverse members of our HIE community. They draw from their own HIE experiences and offer support, comfort, and guidance to families along this complex journey.
We are committed to expanding our mentorship program to meet the diverse needs of our families. Whether you’re a new parent, a grandparent, or anywhere in between, we’re dedicated to providing you with mentors who can offer empathetic support, share their knowledge, and help you find hope in the face of adversity.
Haley Thomas, LMSW
I’m proud to bring this program to Hope for HIE’s community, knowing the positive impact these mentorship programs can have on our families.
With over 15 years of experience, Haley has ample experience supporting families from the beginning to the end of life. She specializes in helping families cope with trauma, unexpected diagnoses, and hospitalization in the NICU, PICU, and ICU. She is passionate about expanding the range of peer mentor services to HIE families.
Allison M.
I want to help families as others have helped me. Families need to know they are supported and not alone in this crazy, unexpected journey.
Allison is mom to Rob, who is six years old. She is a part-time bartender and is driven by the desire to pay forward the support she received during her own journey.
Meagan G.
Just as I am passionate about supporting my patients and their families in my practice, I am dedicated to connecting with other families navigating their own HIE journeys.
Meagan is a physical therapist and mom of two children, a 5-year-old with HIE and a 3-year-old. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her family, knitting, and reading.
Suzi B.
For many of us, the loneliness and despair feel all-consuming at the start of the HIE journey. Having someone who gets it from the very beginning makes a difference.
Suzi is a mother of two beautiful boys, a seeker of wisdom through words, and a woman on a journey of personal evolution and healing. She is passionate about exploring the many layers of this life through its love, grief, joy, and complexity.
Amanda H.
Hope is such an important part of the journey, and having someone who truly understands and relates to the ups and downs can make all the difference.
Having experienced the challenges of HIE firsthand, Amanda is passionate about using what she has learned to help others. She understands the complex emotions that come with this journey and is eager to share her knowledge and learn from others.
Ashley R.
Being able to give back during what can feel like the hardest time in someone’s life brings me immense fulfillment and has only strengthened my sense of purpose.
Ashley is a mom of four children, including 8-year-old twin boys, one of whom experienced an HIE event during childbirth. Over the past eight years in the HIE community, she has gained a deep understanding of HIE and its many outcomes.
Francesca P.
The HIE community provided invaluable support during those early days; now, I’m eager to share my knowledge and give back to this wonderful community.
Francesca is a full-time working mom to a 6-year-old boy with multiple diagnoses, including HIE. Her HIE journey began while living in the UK, but her family has since relocated to the USA.
Nicole C.
As a mentor, I want to support, reassure, and deepen family members’ understanding as they embark on the process of adjusting to their transformed lives.
Nicole is dedicated to offering empathetic support and guidance to the HIE community in a way that emphasizes advocacy and inclusion. When she’s not drinking coffee, her hobbies include photography and reading.
Megan C.
Unity and reassurance are so important along this unpredictable journey, and I want to remind families that a strong community is here to provide guidance and solidarity when needed.
Megan is a union activist dedicated to raising awareness and actively dismantling systemic racism in the workplace and broader community. She is also a children’s book author and is currently writing a book for her daughter that explores the experiences of being a Black child with cerebral palsy.
Kat S.
Grief and growth are deeply personal processes, and it’s important for families to know that they are non-linear.
After her son’s HIE diagnosis, Kat was worried about another hypoxic event occurring with her second pregnancy. With help from the Hope for HIE community, the Pregnancy after HIE group, and her family, she found comfort and was able to advocate for herself, her unborn child, and her son all at the same time.
Kimberly T.
I am grateful for the community that supported me during my most difficult times and am honored to have the opportunity to give back.
Kimberly joined the Hope community in 2013, shortly after the birth of her daughter, Natalie. Following her passing, Kimberly found ongoing support and connection within Hope’s Loss Support for Parents group. Inspired by her personal experience, she is pursuing an MSW with a specialization in trauma, focusing on grief and bereavement.
Romm N.
If I can make even the smallest difference to someone’s well-being and journey, I’ll be content with that.
Romm and his family have been part of the HIE community since their son Bodhi’s traumatic birth in 2015. With the support of friends and family in their “village,” connections they’ve made in the HIE community, and professional guidance, they have struck a life that has had challenges but is still very fulfilling.
Brandon C.
I look forward to sharing experiences, offering support, and brightening the path for others. Together, we can find strength and hope.
Brandon and his wife’s son was born in 2019, four months before his due date, and within a couple of weeks, fell ill with a severe infection that caused HIE. Despite significant disabilities, he is joyful and sweet and brightens their lives. They love to be outside together and spend time with friends and family.
Stephanie L.
I’m deeply committed to supporting others on their HIE journey. Together, we can navigate the complexities, find solace in shared experiences, and walk this journey with hope and resilience.
Stephanie is a technical training specialist for a large healthcare organization in the Midwest. She and her husband adopted their son, Jake, through foster care. He was placed with her family at five weeks old and has severe HIE as a result of a birth injury.
Carol S.
I am excited to be a peer mentor and offer a kind word and a listening ear to reach a wound that only hope can heal.
Carol is married, has two adult children, and has a wonderful daughter-in-law. She is also a media specialist at an elementary school. Carol has a precious 9-year-old granddaughter named Isabel Grace, who has been diagnosed with HIE. She says she is the love of all of their lives.
Lynn G.
There is hope. We can find joy and support during this journey. No matter what you’re going through—the good or the bad—you have people here to listen.
Lynn has been a member of the Hope for HIE community for over nine years. She is the Mom to Kyla, her silly and very sassy daughter with cerebral palsy and CVI, and she thinks she is the funniest person around!
Crystal F.
Even when you don’t feel like hope exists, it does. Talking with someone who understands the start of this journey and beyond is so validating; you finally feel seen and heard.
Crystal is a full-time working mom of four, including her HIE child, Colbey, who is 11. With over ten years in the HIE community, she knows the importance of having someone who truly understands and is eager to give back.
Kara F.
Having someone who truly understands the challenges and emotions we face is invaluable. I want to be that for someone, to give them guidance, support, and reassurance and make the journey feel less overwhelming.
Kara has been on the HIE journey for almost 14 years. She loves to connect with nature through hiking and studying herbal medicine. She travels the world with her family and loves learning other languages and cultures with her ESL students.
Meagan C.
I want others to know that even if things didn’t go as planned and it feels like everything has fallen apart, the pieces are still here, and with hope, they can put them back together in a new way.
Meagan is the mother of Estella, 11, who sustained an HIE injury at birth. A licensed aesthetician and nursing student, Meagan has been an active member of the Hope for HIE community for over ten years.
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