Melissa Wiggins shares what she did when her child was diagnosed with cancer, and how it revealed her life’s purpose. Join Laura Gassner Otting as she hosts this episode of LGOtv with special guest, Melissa Wiggins – Mum, Wife, Boss.
Timestamps
3:05 – That moment when it changed.
5:30 – “I gave birth to the twins in one wing of the hospital while my husband sat with our son having cancer surgery in the other.”
8:58 – At what point did you realize that there weren’t the kind of pediatric treatments that were available to kids?
9:39 – “And they said he has a 50/50 chance.”
11:00 – Did you always refuse to take no for an answer?
15:30 – “I think finding your roar — becoming a mumma bear — is learning to let go of the opinions of other people.”
17:25 – #nomoreoptions
19:30 – “I stood in front of the machine and I said, ‘You can go get your lawyer I’ll just wait.’”
22:20 – “Research is the one thing that we need more innovation in.”
26:35 – “I have pictures of signs saying, ‘Not this year. We’re fighting cancer.’”
30:10 – “He doesn’t have hearing, and he doesn’t have the ability to naturally father a child because of choices I made for him.”
34:00 – “We’re doing an injustice to the kids who didn’t make it because we’re not showing what it really looks like if you do survive.”
38:53 – “How can I add a little piece of family every day?”
40:00 – A cameo appearance as a mom is better than a starring role.
44:50 – Adopting Charlie.
47:38 – “Delegation is a skill.”
50:05 – “If you want to adopt and you want to bond successfully with that child you did not birth…then you have to be able to put something else second for awhile.”
53:44 – “That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Being with a 2 year old that I didn’t know for 24/7.”
Links
https://www.instagram.com/mummabearwiggins
https://www.facebook.com/CKcmelissawiggins83
https://cannonballkidscancer.org
Washington Post Best Selling Author and Motivational Keynote Speaker, Laura Gassner Otting, inspires people to push past the doubt and indecision that keep great ideas in limbo because her presentations make listeners think bigger and accept greater challenges that reach beyond their limited scope of belief.
She delivers strategic thinking, well-honed wisdom, and perspective generated by decades of navigating change across the start-up, nonprofit, political, as well as philanthropic landscapes. Laura dares listeners to find their voice, and generate the confidence needed to tackle larger-than-life challenges. She leads them to seek new ways of leading, managing, and mentoring others.
