Welcome. My name is Karen Varner. I am a retired Pediatric Registered Nurse with a focus on rehab nursing. My initial job as a nurse was in adult med/surge and I quickly realized Pediatrics was where I wanted to be. After taking a short break to raise children, and a move to Tennessee, I had my third daughter who was diagnosed at age 15 with a gene mutation called SCN8A. Taking care of a child with special needs guided me to the field of rehab nursing where I remained until retirement. I have always loved helping people and as a mom with a special needs child I could relate and share my journey with other parent's. Since retiring I have focused my time in volunteering for an organization called The Cute Syndrome Foundation where my role is Family Support Director. Unfortunately, with SCN8A we see a lot of loss not only with death but the loss of the dreams we had for our children. That is why I became certified in The Grief Recovery Method, so that I can continue to support the families in our community with their journey through grief.