What happens when the birthday party of your dreams turns into a high-stakes hazmat cleanup?

Imagine planning your grandson's third birthday at 6:00 PM, only to lose your daughter—his mother—to a fentanyl overdose by 7:30 AM the next morning. This is the raw, devastating reality that today’s guest, Laurel Exner, lived through.

In this episode of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Nurturing Through Adversity, host Laura Brazan sits down with Laurel to discuss a tragedy that would level most people. Laurel didn't just lose one child; she lost two to the opioid epidemic. Yet, in the wake of unimaginable grief, she and her husband stepped into the "second cradle" to build a sanctuary for their grandson.

We are diving deep into the "Invisible CEO" workload, including:

The Hazmat Reality: Cleaning a child’s room while mourning their death to protect a toddler from a single grain of fentanyl.

The Failure Narrative: Confronting the "shame" of addiction and how to stop asking, "Where did I go wrong as a mother?"

Retirement Interrupted: The brutal financial reality of draining 401Ks and retirement funds just to keep the family home while raising a grandchild.

Trauma & Healing: Navigating night terrors, the "long game" of potty training, and the power of a simple "I'm sorry."

Systemic Flaws: Why middle-income kinship families are often left without the financial assistance or medical aid provided to the foster care system.

The Invisible CEO Insight:
Laurel reminds us that addiction hits the "motherboard" of the family, regardless of your background or faith. If you are struggling to survive the next hour, this episode is a reminder that you are not alone, you are not a failure, and you are the bravest leader in the country.

Inside the Episode:
[00:03:05] Laurel’s Story: The 1.5-hour window that changed everything.

[00:15:31] The Financial Drain: Managing the 401K when the "Hardware" fails.

[00:24:56] Advice for the New Grief: Why it's okay to cry with your grandchild.

[00:35:34] The COO Policy: Why we need universal child care and medical aid for kinship families.

Are you raising a grandchild in the wake of loss?
We are 2.7 million strong. Still nurturing, still here, and trading our shame for the high-level infrastructure planning our families deserve.

👉 https://www.grandparents-raising-grandchildren.org/

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