Meet Jodie, A Galactosemia Advocate Thriving on Transparency

Hi! I’m Jodie, a new contributor for Mid-Michigan Moms and a Galactosemia advocate thriving on transparency. I was born and raised in Saginaw. Since graduating from Central Michigan University {Fire Up, Chips!}, I have worked full-time in the world of corporate communications for 15 years. 

Galactosemia mom

I live in Williamston with my husband Chris and three girls: Francesca, and twins, Amelia and Annabelle. On any given day if you stop by to say “hi” you’ll find a doormat that says “hope you brought wine”, 1-3 children will greet you at the door and want to show you everything they own and every {usually mundane} thing they can do, and you’ll hear my husband and me debating who is funnier {spoiler alert: it’s me} or having a way too in-depth conversation about something grammar related. 

Galactosemia mom

I’ve always loved to write – from my first poem in second grade to creative writing in high school to switching my major in college from elementary education to journalism after getting excited about a 10-page paper assignment {and realizing I was more interested in decorating the classroom than actually teaching in it.}

I have blogged for years – starting with documenting my online dating nightmares to my medical journey with epilepsy and brain surgery {two, actually} to my infertility and miscarriage to documenting the current chaos of life as a working mom of three. 

I’m also a mama of two rare disease kiddos and a galactosemia advocate. I know, you probably haven’t heard of it – neither had I before my oldest daughter {7} was born. And by this point, you won’t be surprised to know…I have a blog about that too!

I am on the Galactosemia Foundation board where I advocate for my girls by raising awareness, supporting research, and creating educational opportunities. Galactosemia is a disorder that prevents a person from processing the sugar galactose, which is found in many foods.

Galactosemia Some other important things to know about me – I love Jesus but I cuss a little {read: a lot}, I’m a grammar geek who edits things for fun, I run on caffeine until wine is acceptable, I can recite almost every line of the movie GREASE and I tend to put a humorous spin on everything.

Life is more fun when you’re laughing – even when sometimes it’s just to keep from crying {but crying is okay too.}

I thrive on transparency – I’m not going to help anyone, including myself, by sugarcoating parenting {or any other journey}. Don’t get me wrong – I love being a mom, but sometimes it’s a lot. Thankfully, my husband and my village make it manageable. With me, you’ll always get the real story – sometimes good, sometimes bad, but almost always guaranteed to make you laugh. 

Galactosemia I’m so excited to learn from the incredible moms across Michigan. I look forward to offering a larger audience a front-row seat to our life full of laughter, love, and chaos and hopefully grow my village in the process. 

You can follow my blog at justjoders.blogspot.com and our rare disease journey at galactosemiagirl.blogspot.com.

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Hi, I’m Jodie! I live in Williamston with my husband Chris and three girls: Francesca, and twins, Amelia and Annabelle. Since graduating from Central Michigan University (Fire Up, Chips!), I have worked full-time in the world of corporate communications, for 15 years. I also serve on the Galactosemia Foundation board, where I advocate for my two daughters living with the rare metabolic disease. I love Jesus, but I cuss a little and I drink coffee until wine is acceptable. When I can find a minute, I blog about my crazy, blessed life – often the hard stuff, but always with humor (and often a little sarcasm) at JustJoders.blogspot.com. I can’t wait to start sharing my life and learnings with the Mid-Michigan Moms community!