When a Parent Learns To Listen — Tzippy’s Journey with CRPS

When a Parent Learns To Listen — Tzippy’s Journey with CRPS

When a Parent Learns To Listen — Tzippy’ Slavin’s Journey with CRPS (

What happens when you trust the doctors, follow their advice, and convince yourself that your child’s pain must not be what they say it is? And what happens when you later discover that your child was hurting all along?

Tzippy knows this journey firsthand. When her child experienced unexplained pain, she listened to medical professionals who couldn’t find a cause and came to believe that there was nothing seriously wrong. Trusting the doctors, she dismissed her child’s pain, never imagining how much that experience would change her perspective as a parent.

Eventually, her child was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a debilitating chronic pain condition that can be difficult to recognize and diagnose.

Today, Tzippy is turning her painful experience into a powerful message for other parents: Listen to your child. Trust that their pain is real, even when doctors cannot explain it.

As a member of the Parent Advisory Council at Boston Children’s Hospital, a leading center in pediatric pain management, Tzippy is helping bring the voices and experiences of families into conversations about children's pain and care.

In this heartfelt conversation, Tzippy opens up about the difficult realization that she had dismissed her own child’s pain, what she wishes she had understood sooner, and why she is now passionate about helping other parents advocate for their children. Her story is a reminder that medical expertise matters, but when a diagnosis is elusive, a child’s pain should never be ignored.

Because sometimes the most important thing a parent can do is stop looking for reasons not to believe their child—and start listening.

If you want to get ahold of Tzippy you can email her at tzippy@jewishsc.com

#ListenToYourChild #CRPS #PediatricPain #Parentadvocacy