Navigating chronic illness from a family perspective can be challenging for everyone involved. From small changes to daily routines to more significant shifts in family dynamics, learning how to adapt to this new normal can be difficult, especially for children.

Today, Tami introduces you to Mandy Farmer and her book, Soft Hugs for Mommy, created when Mandy recognized the need for something specifically to speak to a child’s perspective. Soft Hugs for Mommy tells the story of a loving family as they navigate the challenges of mommy’s chronic pain condition and it’s filled with tender moments and caring gestures. The book encourages understanding and unconditional love as the family helps Mommy with her invisible illness. Mandy also collaborated with a child psychologist to create a “let’s talk” section to facilitate conversations between parents and children about chronic illness.

In this conversation, Mandy and Tami discuss the themes of family support in Soft Hugs for Mommy, Mandy’s background as a pastor’s wife and her journey with fibromyalgia and chronic pain, how Mandy manages her fibromyalgia and the support from her family, the journey from blogging about chronic pain to publishing her first book, the benefits of attending online writing conferences, what it was like to write Soft Hugs for Mommy, the family-centric narrative of the book, how it focuses on a child’s perspective and challenges adult perceptions, the target audience for Soft Hugs for Mommy, the central messages of empathy, kindness encouraging family teamwork, how Mandy’s personal experiences inspired the book’s story, her connection with the illustrator, conversation starters to facilitate discussions between parents and children about chronic illness, the difficulties and emotional challenges of writing a book, encouragement for aspiring authors, the importance of grieving past expectations while embracing new possibilities in life, the benefits of online communities and resources for those with chronic health conditions, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.