She Faced the Unthinkable Again and Again… But Never Lost Faith
4/26/202645 min
In this episode of Stories of Hope, Samantha shares an incredibly raw and powerful journey through life’s most unexpected challenges, from heartbreak and loss to raising children with unique abilities. What begins as a story about dating struggles and an unlikely JSwipe success quickly unfolds into something much deeper: a conversation about faith, resilience, and what it really means to build a family when life doesn’t go according to plan.
Through it all, Samantha’s perspective is both honest and uplifting. She opens up about navigating grief, parenting children with special needs, and maintaining a strong marriage and sense of purpose through it all. Her story isn’t about everything working out perfectly, it’s about learning how to move forward, find meaning, and embrace the life you’re given with strength and gratitude.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsTzipora Gradko· Host0:00
You did not have it easy. I know you had a stillborn. I know you have a child with autism, a child with dwarfism Had a very healthy pregnancy until it wasn't.
Samantha Brand· Guest0:07
About 31 weeks- [gasps] ... unfortunately, I had a blood clot to my umbilical cord, and we lost Ayala.
Tzipora Gradko· Host0:12
Ayala.
Samantha Brand· Guest0:13
A piece of me was missing forever. I never saw the color of her eyes. She never opened her eyes. I'll never know what it sounds like for her to call my name. It's a double death. Chevy's seven, and she has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia. It's the most common form of dwarfism. I really thought this was gonna be, like, our rainbow baby, everything we had hoped and prayed for, and she is. She's just much tinier than we expected.
Tzipora Gradko· Host0:34
Mm-hmm.
Samantha Brand· Guest0:35
Again, another devastating blow, to have a child who's gonna face challenges in their life. Heartbreaking, it's devastating. You don't wanna see your children suffer. My son.
Tzipora Gradko· Host0:42
Your son.
Samantha Brand· Guest0:43
He's four. It's hard to believe. Diagnosed with high-functioning autism.
Tzipora Gradko· Host0:46
That's a lot.
Samantha Brand· Guest0:47
Again, will he get a job? Will he get married? A lot more worrisome when your child is different.
Tzipora Gradko· Host0:51
Of course.
Samantha Brand· Guest0:52
They're like, "Is she crazy?" Yeah, I'm crazy.
Tzipora Gradko· Host0:54
If this is what crazy looks like, sign me up. Sign me up.
Samantha Brand· Guest0:57
I'm your girl. [laughs] I guess I say it after each one of Hashem's little setbacks he throws my way.
Tzipora Gradko· Host1:02
Yeah.
Samantha Brand· Guest1:03
Padma Thai, like, when is it enough?
Tzipora Gradko· Host1:05
What do you hold onto to help you feel optimistic? Today, we have something different for you, because as always, we take your feedback, and we use it as fuel. Today, we feature another beautiful, beautiful hero, Samantha Brand, who shares her story of what it's like to navigate through challenge and living with hope even though the ending doesn't look like