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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with Dr. Chrissy Salley, pediatric psychologist and Director of Clinician Engagement and Outreach at Courageous Parents Network, and Blair Young, a Parent Champion with the organization and mother to Bubba, who died in 2024.

Together, they discuss what it’s like to raise a child with complex medical needs, and to do so in a system that often delays palliative care and overlooks emotional support. Blair shares her family's powerful story: from the shock of her son’s diagnosis to the grief and clarity that followed his death. Chrissy explains how Courageous Parents Network helps bridge the gap between clinical care and the lived experience of parenting through uncertainty, loss, and love.

According to a 2023 Kaiser Family Foundation report, an estimated 19 million children, 26% of all U.S. children under 18, have special health care needs (KFF, accessed 8/4/25). This episode highlights how Courageous Parents Network offers guidance, community, and practical tools for the families behind that number.

Topics covered include:

• The emotional and logistical impact of delayed pediatric palliative care
• Why peer-to-peer connection is essential
• The role of Parent Champions in transforming family care
• How clinicians and parents can walk this path together

This conversation is for clinicians, caregivers, and anyone supporting a family with a seriously ill child. It's about listening deeply, showing up, and remembering that no parent should have to face this journey alone.

Links/Resources

Please consider donating to the Courageous Parents Network at https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/about/donate

• Guests:
  Dr. Chrissy Salley & Blair Young – https://www.drchrissysalley.com
  Courageous Parents Network – https://www.courageousparentsnetwork.org
• Host:
  Traci Arieli – https://www.comfortingclosure.com
• Additional Resources:
  NeuroJourney Tool – https://www.neurojourney.org
• KFF Report – https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-children-with-special-health-care-needs-and-medicaid