Medicalised Mum Collective was born from necessity.
Like so many families navigating complex medical journeys, I found myself trying to keep track of appointments, medications, questions for specialists, test results and endless pieces of information using whatever I could find. Notes scribbled on the backs of scraps of paper, old teacher planners collecting dust in the cupboard and even standard Collins diaries that never quite fit what our life actually looked like.
I was exhausted.
The mental load of caring for a medically complex child is immense. The appointments don't stop, the information keeps coming and the responsibility of remembering everything often falls on shoulders that are already carrying far too much. I wanted something that could take away some of that burden. A product that didn't require us to think when our sleepy, overwhelmed brains had nothing left to give.
I wanted prompts, structure even. A place for everything. I wanted something practical, designed by someone who truly understood what this journey feels like.
And so, the idea for this journal was born.
I designed every page while Jacob lounged on my lap, doing his happy dance in front of the television or passed out beside me while he recovered from seizures. Every section, every prompt, every detail was created with one purpose: to make life just a little easier for families like ours.
Then, after the designs had been finalised and the files sent off to the manufacturer, our world changed forever.
Jacob took his last breath in his sleep and grew his wings.
In the depths of grief, I questioned everything. Continuing with this dream suddenly felt impossible. Why would I keep going when the little boy I had created this journal for was no longer here? Every draft, every email, every sample was a painful reminder of the life we had lost.
I wondered if I was being silly for continuing on. The thoughts of being a fraud for creating such a product without ever having the need to use it personally any more. That’s when I learnt about imposter syndrome.
But over time, I realised this dream had become bigger than us.
I decided to continue because I know there are other families sitting in hospital waiting rooms, surviving on little sleep, trying desperately to remember the questions they wanted to ask the doctor. Families juggling therapies, specialists, medications and everyday life. Families doing it tough, just as we once were.
If this journal can ease even a small part of that weight, then it is worth it.
Medicalised Mum Collective exists to offer practical support, understanding and a glimmer of hope. This journal has been built with so much heart, purpose and lived experience. It is more than a product. It is a companion for the journey. A reminder that you don't have to carry it all in your head, and that someone out there understands.
This is only the beginning.
Big things are coming for Medicalised Mum Collective, and every step forward is taken in honour of our beautiful boy, Jacob.
Thank you for being here.
With love,
Kait x