How I Went From Stuck in a Rut to Rebuilding My Future
A caregiving story of congenital CMV, hearing loss, seizures and finding a way forward
There was a season not too long ago where I felt like life was slipping through my fingers, where no matter how tightly I held on, everything kept shifting. I was in a rut that felt impossible to climb out of.
Our journey with my son has never been straightforward. He was born with a virus I didn’t even know I could pass on — congenital CMV. At first, we were told it was a mild hearing loss. Then came the bloodwork, the seizures, the hospital stays. His hearing continued to decline until, by age two, it had progressed to profound deafness.
We got the cochlear implants. We committed to therapy. We signed up for every early intervention program available — playgroups, sign language, spoken language therapy. I drove hours, rearranged my days, followed every recommendation, said yes to everything that promised progress.
And still, progress was slow.
Each setback felt like another weight on an already heavy load. Seizures were heartbreaking. Regressions terrified me. Watching his language remain delayed despite everything was devastating. It chipped away at me until I felt emptied out.
I reached a point where I didn’t recognise my own life. I wasn’t investing in anything that felt like mine. I wasn’t building anything for my future. I wasn’t putting energy into what used to light me up. And without realising it, I had disconnected from joy.
When people talked about excitement or planning ahead, it felt like another world. Because when you’re raising a child with high support needs, and you’re constantly adapting to things you cannot control, joy can feel far away.
What Changed
It didn’t begin with a big decision. It started quietly.
I began sharing small pieces of our life online — the cochlear implant journey, therapy, sleep challenges, my thoughts, my fears, the tiny wins that kept me going. Not polished updates. Just real moments.
And something happened.
People responded. They shared their own stories. They told me they felt the same. They leaned in. They reminded me I wasn’t alone.
Sharing became more than an outlet. It helped me process what was happening. It helped me connect. It helped me remember that I still had a voice.
The Shift
Over time, I realised my story wasn’t something to carry in silence. It was a bridge — to connection, to community, and eventually to a future that worked with my unpredictable season instead of against it.
When I finally paired my story with something I genuinely believed in — products aligned with rebuilding energy, identity, and consistency — everything shifted again.
I wasn’t forcing conversations. I wasn’t chasing people.
People started coming to me.
They saw themselves in my story.
They asked questions.
They said things like “send me the link.”
My story didn’t just connect me to mums like me.
It gave me a way forward.
Why I Share This
If you’ve been sharing parts of your life online because you need an outlet, or because you hope to connect with other mums who understand this world, and you’ve wondered whether it could become something meaningful — I want you to know that it can.
You don’t need thousands of followers.
You don’t need perfect strategy.
You don’t need life to be easier before you begin.
👉 What you already have — your story, your experience, your resilience — is the foundation.
And when you learn how to share it with intention, it can create connection, impact, and flexible income that bends around your caring responsibilities.
This is the work I now help other ambitious carer mums do:
build something that fits their life, not something that requires a totally new one.
You've given everything to their progress. Now it's your turn to grow too.
·You already know how to advocate for what matters … now you can share products that genuinely help others too.
Your Personal Invitation
Hi, I’m Trudy — a mum to a medically complex child navigating congenital CMV, hearing loss, and seizures.
I help ambitious carer mums earn from home through a simple partnership that fits unpredictable days and lets them build something that’s theirs again.
If you want to understand how other mums are earning around therapy, school, and caring life — without needing to create products or learn complicated systems — click below to answer a few short questions.
P.S.
👉You can follow me on Instagram @trudymayo_ for daily behind-the-scenes and story-led updates.