Thank you for joining us for the first rare disease anonymous meetup. On this episode we talk to fellow podcaster and rare parent Gary David about the uncertainties of raising a rare child.

Gary has used his experience as an adult child of an alcoholic to better himself as a parent, partner, professor, and person. He began attending 12 step recovery meetings over 6 years ago, and the connections between his experiences growing up and his experience raising a child with a rare disease are impactful. Together, we discuss the powerlessness of being a parent to a rare child, the importance of focusing on your reaction, and the importance of self-care while doing so.

Listen along as Gary describes to Sanath the similarities between the popular show Naked and Afraid and meeting his own needs as a parent and where he needs to put his focus first. Think building a house in the forest instead of feeling as if you need to fight off the forest.

One of those needs is the importance and power of connections formed with people going through similar realities (Al-anon, parenting a child with rare disease, sports, etc.) As you are able to connect with a community based on common ground, it strengthens you.

Thank you for joining our first meetup. Please keep coming back. If you are interested in taking part of a rare disease anonymous meetup, please reach out to us, Podcast@salemoaks.com . To learn more about Gary or listen to his podcast, please visit www.garycdavid.com .

We look forward to sharing our stories and connections with you again next season.