About Molly

My love for medicine and caring for others began at a young age. It all lined up, I was the oldest of six kids, we were a foster family, I loved science, and was accepted to one of the top nursing schools in the country. My passion for provider-level care was identified early and I chose Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) as my first love. I had the honor of being the first CV Surgery Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) hired at my hospital and went on to develop a breadth of experience in other departments as well. Providing care along the continuum of pre-, post-surgical congenital heart disease care as well as assisting in the OR were some of my most rewarding days in the hospital.

Everything changed in the summer of 2012. Our beautiful daughter, Allie, was 3 at the time and began experiencing severe, debilitating headaches. My PNP brain was, for lack of a better term, freaking out. I knew these signs and symptoms were very dangerous and needed to be worked up immediately. We went through the process of doctor visits, x-rays, MRIs and blood work. We finally arrived at a diagnosis, Chiari Malformation with Syrinx. In an instant, we knew that her condition would require surgical intervention and a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admission. Let’s just say that put my brain on overdrive. And, you know what, not an ounce of rational thinking mattered.

                                                  I was SCARED TO DEATH…

This was our beautiful, innocent 3-year-old who was going to need brain surgery. We were going to have to hand her over to others and hope and pray it was going to be ok. It was through the process that I had my “Aha” moment. Fear was controlling my thoughts and actions. Once I identified the root emotion, my life changed. I was able to recognize and manage my thoughts differently and completely change my mindset. We humbly asked others for support, chose our team and leaned in heavily on our Faith. Today, Allie is a happy, thriving 15 year old who has fully recovered. We are eternally grateful.

The blessing of this experience is that not only did it change my life but it also had a positive impact on the patients and their families I have cared for since. Because I had been in my patient’s parent’s shoes, I had walked a similar path and had gone through many of the same emotions they were experiencing. This completely transformed my approach to their care. Day after day, I developed and refined a method of helping parents navigate their fears, optimize their team and focus on hope for the future. Heartstrings, my coaching and consulting program, is the result of the process I’ve honed over the last 11 years and I couldn’t be more proud of the end result.