21 - Spreading The Word Via Higher Learning - Advent Health University

In May 2024, I responded to a call from Dr. Stefanie Johnson of Advent Health University. She was looking for individuals willing to share their personal medical journeys with her English class, and I was honored to be considered. Dr. Johnson visited me at Freedom Ride, where she took a tour of the facility and we discussed how a curriculum might take shape around real-life patient stories.

She also reached out to Cathy Garrett, a fellow Freedom Ride participant who experienced an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) during the birth of her second child, along with a basal ganglia stroke. Cathy and I both felt our stories could offer valuable insight to students preparing for careers in healthcare.

Over the summer, Dr. Johnson worked diligently to develop classroom materials, incorporating input from both Cathy and me. On September 24th, we met with her class,14 students with diverse majors including medicine, radiologic technology, and nursing. We each had the opportunity to share our stories, followed by a thoughtful Q&A session with the students.

We returned on October 29th for a follow-up discussion. This time, students had reviewed my blog and listened to Cathy’s podcast on one of the following platforms:

• Spotify: Birth Trauma Stories

• Apple Podcasts: Birth Trauma Stories

• Website: www.birthtraumastories.com

Cathy also participated in a guest session on YouTube, which you can watch here.

Once again, the students asked excellent questions, and we did our best to provide honest and helpful answers.

We're now looking forward to December 3rd and 5th, when the students will present their findings based on this experience. It was a great class.

Our goal throughout this collaboration was simple yet meaningful: to share our stories with future healthcare professionals in the hope of influencing how they care for patients.

With the help of Dr. Johnson and her class, I believe we’ve made a real impact. We are now part of the curriculum, and it is a great honor.

My File I Use For Teaching The Class - Enjoy!