Skip to main content

I am so grateful and honored to have today’s guest on the podcast. Carrie Meghie has been recognized as one of CNN’s Heroes and is affectionately known as the “parking fairy” through the work she is doing with her foundation. It’s an amazing story and I can’t wait for you to hear it.

When you have a child in the NICU, as a parent, the only thing you want to do is be there with them every moment that you can. But spending days, weeks, and months comes at a cost. Carrie knows about these challenges very well, and it’s so great to hear about the impact she is having on people’s lives.

Carrie is a successful businesswoman with a background in hospitality and real estate. She’s been voted Chicagoan of the year in Chicago Magazine and is the Co-Founder of The Jackson Chance Foundation, a non-profit that is dedicated to providing resources to families with babies in the NICU.

Carrie shares the story of her son unexpectedly being born 10 weeks premature and the challenges they faced as Jackson spent all 10 months of his life in the NICU between two hospitals.

After spending thousands of dollars on parking during their time in the hospital with him, she knew that she wanted to do something to help others. This experience inspired Carrie and her husband to create an amazing foundation to honor their son and give parents the freedom to enjoy more time with their babies.

She shares the lessons that come with the loss of her son, the challenges of finding affordable parking with a child in the NICU, and all the wonderful things her foundation is doing to help families spend more time with their kids.

Key Takeaways with Carrie Meghie

  • How Carrie dealt with the news of an unexpected premature birth.
  • The tough decisions that come with having a NICU baby.
  • How an experience like this puts everything in perspective.
  • The shocking costs for parking when you’re spending so much time at a hospital.
  • The things that you wished you knew sooner about the NICU.
  • Why open communication with your partner goes a long way.
  • Managing the feelings of seclusion when your child is in the hospital.
  • The importance of celebrating each moment and every milestone in the journey.

Carrie Meghie Tweetables

  • “You’re still the mom, it’s still your child, and you’re still in charge.” – Carrie Meghie
  • “Having that really open-minded perspective of what everyone’s role has to be is just so helpful for families.”  – Carrie Meghie
  • “Joy in the journey is about taking a moment and being present.”  – Carrie Meghie

 Resources

Rate & Review

If you enjoyed today’s episode of The Joy In The Journey, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify , Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.

You can also help by providing an honest rating & review over on Apple Podcasts. Reviews go a long way in helping us build awareness so that we can impact even more people. THANK YOU!