Jessica Woolwine Shares her story at Huddle up moms event
Guest Speaker Jessica Woolwine March 8, 2026 at Huddle Up Moms Event. Roanoke, VA
On International Women’s Day, Huddle Up Moms hosted BE VOCAL. Hear Her. Event at 5 Points Music Sanctuary
A Postpartum Storytelling Brunch & Silent Auction, Jessica Woolwine, Co-Founder & VP of Life Ring Foundation, shared her story as one of the guest speakers.
“On March 8th, I walked into 5 Points Music Sanctuary in Roanoke and told a deeply personal part of my story I had never told before. And one that had been overlooked until that day.
Huddle Up Moms hosted their BE VOCAL. Hear Her event that day, and I was one of eight guest speakers - women who were sharing their stories that we each hold very close. Ironically, that day it was International Women's Day, and the room was full of passionate women coming together to support each other in this community.
It was a beautiful space that made me feel safe and seen, although still very hard to find the courage to prepare for and share in person such a vulnerable part of my story. That day, I opened up about something I had never shared on a stage. As moms, we tend to put ourselves last and let everyone else come first. But that evening gave me the permission and the right moment to share my story from my own perspective.
When Charlotte was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma at age 3, I had just had a newborn, our son, Foxx.
We had to leave Roanoke entirely because Charlotte couldn't get the treatment she needed here. So I had to face the reality of being a mother to a newborn while simultaneously living in a hospital, on a cancer floor, in a far away place, tracking doses, sitting through rounds, and fighting for our daughter's life- without my newborn son.
Not the kind of motherhood I pictured.
There was no separation between those two realities, they happened at the same time. I have to say, as a mom, who was postpartum at the time, it was one of the hardest things I've ever faced.
And honestly, sometimes I still can't believe we got through it.
The Huddle Up Moms stage was the first time I was not only asked, but then charged with sharing this part of my journey with others. In a space full of support and understanding from other moms who all have their own stories, I felt deeply connected in that we all have found a way to get through those difficult chapters of our lives.
Thank you to Huddle Up Moms for building a space in Roanoke where that kind of honesty is welcomed and encouraged. What you're doing for mothers in this community matters and we are forever grateful for your leadership and philanthropic work!
And to anyone reading this who is in the middle of your own hard chapter, the one you haven't told anyone about yet, remember, you don’t have to face it alone. We see you! There are spaces full of empathy and support that care about you, about your story - and it matters!
If you want to learn more about Huddle Up Moms and the amazing support they provide to the community here in Roanoke, Virginia, go check their website and follow their socials!” - Jessica Woolwine
Visit huddleupmoms.org
