Every family has a story. We care about yours.

When my youngest son was an infant, a major surgery and extended intubation left him different than he’d been before hospitalization. Our silly, cheerful little buddy became terrified of the world, anxiously clinging to my husband and me and crying constantly. It took us months of searching to figure out what was happening, and years more before we would find the support we needed. When we finally met a therapist who believed our story and described to us the brain science behind what had happened, it was like we’d been thrown a life raft after swimming alone in a deep ocean for far too long.

I founded Alongside to be that life raft for other families. Throughout our family’s experience, I thought so much about the other parents and caregivers who were living through a similar ordeal with their kids. As I’ve connected with other families who’ve had experiences like ours, I’ve heard over and over about the disbelief and isolation that piled more challenges on top of an already difficult situation. At Alongside, our goal is to validate each family’s experience and build that much-needed sense of community. Only then can we begin to explore what healing looks like.

While this experience doesn’t define our family, we did learn so much from it. My hope is that what we learned-- and what so many other families have learned-- can make the path a little easier for those who come behind us.

-Jen Aspengren, Founder, Alongside Network

Alongside is a network of families, caregivers, young people, practitioners, supporters, and researchers who care about the emotional health of young people who have experienced the stress that accompanies a life-threatening illness or injury.  We believe caring for young people means also caring for their families.

Our work is based in community. We use an anti-racism framework in all we do. We achieve our goals through community co-design and collaboration. 

Our Values:

• Equity & Inclusion

• Innovation

• Trust & Connection

• Learning & Growth

• Community-centered

• Science & Research