"I became a forever parent caregiver." - Jesse Ronne
What happens when caregiving, loss, and love collide? Jess Ronnie, writer, speaker, podcaster, and founder of The Lucas Project, brings her powerful story to the mic, offering a moving look into parenting a child with special needs, enduring grief, and building a future rooted in compassion and advocacy.
Jess opens up about the emotional and physical toll of raising her son Lucas, who has profound special needs, while managing life as a "forever caregiver" and navigating the heartbreak of losing her husband, Jason. She shares the raw realities of caregiving, the denial that can come with special needs diagnoses, and the heavy yet hopeful journey toward acceptance, remarriage, and healing.
This episode is a powerful reminder that caregivers are not alone. Jess discusses:
- Surviving as a parent in crisis mode
- Rebuilding identity after caregiving takes over
- Balancing love and loss in blended families
- The critical importance of support systems and community
- How her nonprofit, The Lucas Project, is creating change for caregivers across the country
About Jesse:
Jess Ronne is an author, speaker, podcast host at Coffee with Caregivers, associate producer of the Unseen Documentary, and caregiver advocate. She is founder and executive director of The Lucas Project, a non-profit dedicated to providing recognition, resources and respite support for special needs families. She and her husband Ryan live in Michigan with their 8 children, including their son Lucas who has profound disabilities. Her story of beauty from ashes has been shared on The Today Show, Daily Mail and Huffington Post and is detailed in her memoir Sunlight Burning at Midnight. To follow the ongoing saga she can be found at www.jessplusthemess.com or purchase her latest books Blended with Grit & Grace, Lovin’ with Grit & Grace, and Caregiving with Grit & Grace.
Social Media
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessronneofficial
Website: www.caregiverdoc.com
Website: www.thelucasproject.org
Website: www.jessronne.com
Thank you to sponsor: CareScout
Learn more about Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver
** Caregiver Action Network Caregiver Help Desk offers free support to family caregivers via phone, chat, or email Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 7:00 pm Eastern. Get answers
Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver
Sisterhood of Care, LLC
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com