Everything Changed with Rosie Fawehimi

She lost two sons in one year. This is how she survived.
Carly Smith is a mother of five. In the last two years she has lost two sons. Morgan, who she loved as her own from the moment she met him. And Barnie, her beautiful non-verbal autistic boy, whose heart now beats inside a fifteen year old girl somewhere in the UK.
In this episode Carly talks about the love that built her family, the grief that nearly broke it, and the quiet signs that have kept her going.
Have tissues close by.
⚠️ This episode contains discussions of child loss, grief, and suicidal thoughts. Please take care of yourself while listening.
💛 This episode is sponsored by RevitaLash Cosmetics
RevitaLash was created by ophthalmologist Dr Michael Brinkenhoff for his wife Gayle during her breast cancer journey, because feeling confident and beautiful matters, especially when life is hard. Now trusted in over 70 countries and having donated more than $13 million to breast cancer initiatives, RevitaLash is a brand built on strength, love, and giving back.
Visit revitalash.com to find out more.
📌 Chapters
0:00 Cold open
0:24 A word from our sponsor
1:03 Meet Carly
1:55 Barnie's diagnosis
3:33 The first seizure
4:18 The IVF journey
12:26 Meet Morgan
13:11 The phone call
21:29 The anniversary
24:58 Great Ormond Street
26:09 The decision
27:06 The sign
29:18 "I need you too"
31:10 Finding a reason to keep going
📲 Follow Carly:instagram.com/carlylousmith83
📲 Follow Everything Changed:instagram.com/everythingchangedpodcast
🎧 Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/2XH1S48Q9rubN7TaywfxVe?si=cd71458fbb06449b

✨ This episode is sponsored by RevitaLash Cosmetics.
Rosie has partnered with RevitaLash, the original lash conditioning brand, to bring you a special offer.
Use code ROSIE20 for 20% off your order at revitalash.co.uk.
Thank you to RevitaLash for supporting Everything Changed.

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When Nicola Whitbread-Hastings became a mother, she expected the “typical” experience. Instead, she was thrust into a world of medical terminology, 24/7 care, and a diagnosis so rare there are only a few hundred cases worldwide.

In this episode of Everything Changed, Nicola joins us to share the raw, unfiltered reality of raising her son, Rudy, who lives with MCAHS1, a genetic condition that causes epilepsy, visual impairment, and profound physical disability.

In this episode we discuss:

* The COVID diagnosis
Navigating the terrifying first weeks of lockdown while realising something was wrong.

* Finding out both she and her husband carried the same rare gene.

* The survival instinct
Why she had to emotionally detach from her second pregnancy to survive the weight of a potential second diagnosis.

* Milestones vs inchstones
The beautiful, small victories that mean everything.

This is a story about resilience, the fight of a special-needs parent, and how the arrival of her second son, Dexter, helped their family rediscover laughter in the chaos.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Haven House Children’s Hospice: https://www.havenhouse.org.uk/
Follow Rudy’s journey on Instagram: @rudysw0rld

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Timestamps

00:00 – Highlights: The moment everything changed
02:15 – The first signs and the COVID lockdown
08:50 – Getting the MCAHS1 diagnosis
16:10 – The heartbreaking reality of the second pregnancy
21:45 – The IVF journey and travelling to Barcelona
25:30 – Dexter: finding joy in “typical” motherhood
34:00 – Advice for parents facing a new diagnosis

✨ Sponsored by RevitaLash Cosmetics ✨

This episode is proudly sponsored by RevitaLash Cosmetics 💗
Founded by Dr Michael Brinkenhoff to help his wife feel more beautiful during her battle with breast cancer, RevitaLash is best known for its clinically tested RevitaLash Advanced Eyelash Serum.

A portion of every purchase supports global breast cancer research, including studies at the Francis Crick Institute in London.

Thank you to RevitaLash for supporting Everything Changed.

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🎙️ Everything Changed | Carly Chan’s story

In this episode, Rosie speaks to Carly Chan, who shares the reality of pregnancy sickness that became life-threatening and why giving birth was not the end of her struggle.

Just weeks into pregnancy, Carly developed hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a severe condition that left her bedridden, dehydrated, and unable to function. What’s often dismissed as “bad morning sickness” became months of relentless nausea, isolation, and a devastating impact on her mental health.

Carly speaks honestly about:
* Losing her sense of identity
* Feeling trapped in her own body
* Experiencing suicidal thoughts, not because she didn’t want her baby, but because she desperately wanted the sickness to stop

Although the physical symptoms ended as soon as her son was born, Carly explains how she struggled to bond with him, feeling intense fear, anxiety, and shame in the early days of motherhood.

With support from friends, her husband, and specialist perinatal mental health services, Carly made the terrifying but life-changing decision to enter a Mother and Baby Unit, where she received intensive support for severe postnatal anxiety and depression.

This is a powerful, honest conversation about pregnancy, postnatal mental health, and why asking for help can be lifesaving.

If this episode resonates with you, you are not alone.

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 “I felt suicidal during pregnancy”
00:36 Meeting Carly and the start of her story
01:58 When pregnancy sickness suddenly took over
04:19 Hospital visits, dehydration and being dismissed
06:12 Diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG)
09:49 Giving birth and expecting everything to be okay
10:15 Struggling to bond with her newborn
13:24 Reaching breaking point and suicidal thoughts
15:32 Friends stepping in when Carly couldn’t cope
18:48 The moment she realised she needed more help
19:48 Being told she needed a Mother and Baby Unit
21:57 The first night alone with her baby
24:14 Treatment, exposure therapy and recovery
29:28 How this changed her decision to have more children
32:00 Carly’s message to anyone struggling
33:07 Finding strength, endurance and pride

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🧡 Support and resources

If you are struggling during pregnancy or after birth, these organisations can help:

🤍 Pregnancy Sickness Support
https://pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk
Support, information, and peer mentoring for people experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum and severe pregnancy sickness.

💛 PANDAS Foundation
https://pandasfoundation.org.uk
Support for parents and families affected by perinatal mental illness, including postnatal depression and anxiety.

Sponsored by RevitaLash Cosmetics
Use code ROSIE20 for 20 percent off at checkout.

Kristen’s life changed almost overnight. In early 2022, she suddenly developed extreme anxiety, tremors, and escalating neurological symptoms that no one could explain. Within months, she lost her voice, her confidence, and eventually her mobility — going from walking for half an hour to barely lasting five minutes. Her husband carried her up and down the stairs. She stopped going out. She hid from friends and family because she couldn’t face the questions. 

This episode follows Kristen’s raw, honest journey through misdiagnosis, fear, and the emotional shock of becoming a full-time wheelchair user at 26. It also traces the unexpected moment everything shifted — a chance encounter at Paddington Station with another wheelchair user — and how that single conversation opened the door to wheelchair basketball, then padel, and ultimately a new identity. Today, Kristen is Britain’s number-one female wheelchair padel player. 

Her story is about identity, loss, resilience, and rebuilding a life that looks nothing like the one she had before — but one she is proud of.

00:00 Losing mobility, losing her voice — everything collapses
00:23 Meet Kristen: nurse and Britain’s No.1 wheelchair padel player
01:31 The sudden anxiety and confusion in 2022
03:37 Misdiagnosis, dismissal, and declining mobility
06:13 Losing her voice — and losing her identity
11:37 The Bath trip: realising she can no longer walk
17:27 Isolation, hiding from the world, husband becoming a carer
23:53 Paddington Station: the moment everything changed
27:58 From wheelchair basketball to becoming No.1 in padel
31:29 The pink hair: reclaiming identity and confidence

Supported by RevitaLash Cosmetics. Use code ROSIE20 for 20 percent off on their official site.

When Rachel Jones took her son Alfie to a routine weigh-in, she never imagined it would lead to a life-altering diagnosis. What followed was years of treatment, surgeries, hope, fear and unimaginable strength. And then, in a single night, everything changed again.

In this extraordinary conversation, Rachel shares:
• The moment doctors gave Alfie a 5 percent chance of survival
• The rushed wedding and christening that happened within 48 hours
• Years of chemo, brain surgeries and hospital life
• The sudden sepsis infection that took Alfie’s life within hours
• Navigating grief while raising two other children
• How she is rebuilding purpose through the Alfie Foundation

This is one of the most powerful and honest stories we have ever shared. A profound conversation about love, loss, resilience and what it means to keep going when your world collapses.