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 mothersanddaughterspod@gmail.com or DM on Instagram.

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