Rachael Casella & Wendy Banham: A Mother's Mission Part 1

05/01/22 • 51 min

This week, we kick off our episode with some very special Mother's Day messages from some of our previous guests, Bahar Etminan, Ariel Parker (Babes Project), Nikolina Kharoufeh (9honey). Wishing all the mother's a very happy mother's day!

Our chat this week is with Rachael Casella and her mum Wendy. Rachael is an advocate for IVF, Genetic Screening, Child Loss and Fertility, all while working as an AFP officer, raising her son Zac and continuing to grow Mackenzie's Mission! Not long after Mackenzie was born, she was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) – a severe inherited neuromuscular condition without a cure. After the initial shock and disbelief, Rachael, her husband and their families decided to give Mackenzie the best life she could have, giving her all the love and experiences life had to offer. She sadly passed away at 7 months old. Believing no couple should face this tragedy, the Casellas launched a campaign calling for reproductive genetic carrier screening to be routine and free for all prospective parents in Australia.

After losing her daughter, Rachael and her family have managed to move mountains, recently the Australian Government announced $500 million towards genomics research. Rachael shares her continued battle with IVF and giving a sibling to Zac and Mackenzie, she truly is a gift to this world.

We thank Rachael and her mum Wendy for sharing their story and continuing to bring awareness so that no parent has to go through what they have been through.

Part 2 with Rachael and Wendy will be released May 9th!

If you have a mother/daughter story you would like to share, please email [email protected] or DM on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We thank Rachael and her mum Wendy for sharing their story and continuing to bring awareness so that no parent has to go through what they have been through.

Part 2 with Rachael and Wendy will be released May 9th!

If you have a mother/daughter story you would like to share, please email [email protected] or DM on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Lettie & Sally Pattinson: Building a Fashion Brand After Loss

With over 30 years experience of working in the fashion industry, Sally has always made Lettie’s clothing since she was a little girl and still does today! After Lettie's father passed away, the mother-daughter duo created TDS, they made works of art from sorrow. Years later, although they might have different working methods and times, they still love working and creating their one-of-a-kind pieces.

Sally, a previous fashion lecturer has made Lettie’s clothes since she was a baby. It wasn’t until Lettie went to university, that many people started to comment on one of her jackets, which was made by Sally! - and that they decided to join forces, combining their shared love of fashion and design. Sally has designed all her life. She has produced garments for herself, and private clients as well as working at a range of fashion houses from children’s wear to intricate women’s wear.

It was so lovely to speak to Lettie and Sally from across the pond, in the home where they live and work together in perfect unity!! They both have a unique and important role to play in the business, with some guidance from Lettie's brother as well, it's a real family affair.

If you have a mother/daughter story to share, you can email us [email protected] or DM us on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

BONUS EP: Met Gala Debrief

As you know, mum and I love a debrief! The Met Gala is no different! We share our best dressed and tried to guess which each of us chose. The Met Gala 2022 was Gilded Glamour, a night to show off the ultimate fashion designers of the world. The Gala was co-hosted this year by Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Regina King.

We chat about The Kardashian/Jenners, favourite couples of the night, and of course Mothers and Daughters! We hope you enjoy this as much as we enjoyed recording it.

On Monday, our part 2 episode with Rachel Casella.

If you have a Mother/Daughter story you would like to share, please email [email protected] or DM on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.