For Working Parents is our story and our mission to use our experience to support neurodiverse parents in the workplace.

Amit lost his mother to ovarian cancer, which was a traumatic journey, especially considering illness of any kind can be a taboo in certain cultures. The journey involved Amit watching as his mother slowly lost her battle, from chemotherapy and major surgery to the terminal diagnosis and eventual death.

Our daughter was then born prematurely in the peak of the COVID pandemic and at eight weeks, she was diagnosed with three holes in her heart. The pure, sweet joy of parenthood was quickly replaced by the terror of a life-threatening diagnosis. We felt lost, helpless, and scared. But the challenges didn’t stop there.

Then, on Christmas Day 2020, our daughter’s condition suddenly took a turn for the worse. Having already had open heart surgery cancelled twice, she now had a sudden diaphragmatic hernia that required emergency surgery on Boxing Day.

It wasn’t until February 2021 that she finally had open heart surgery at Great Ormond Street to repair two of the holes. She spent three long days in intensive care, fighting for her life. The entire journey was fought against the backdrop of COVID restrictions with limitations in place on hospital access and support.

Thankfully, our daughter is now healthy and thriving. However, our experience made us realise that every parent needs support, not just during times of crisis but throughout every step of the parenting journey – which is long, bumpy, paved with the unexpected, but equally magnificent.