{
  "id": 13942705,
  "title": "When I thought of 'success,' I pictured a thriving career and high-achieving children. Then my daughter was born with complex medical needs.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/when-i-thought-of-success-i-pictured-a-thriving-career-and-high",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-12T11:17:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/having-child-with-disabilities-changed-definition-success-2026-10"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jamie Davis Smith, a civil rights lawyer, once envisioned a successful future filled with a thriving career and high-achieving children. However, when her daughter was born with complex medical needs and disabilities, her perspective on success underwent a significant transformation.\n\nInitially, Davis Smith planned to return to her full-time job shortly after giving birth, believing that her career would continue as normal. Yet, her daughter's unexpected birth complications shifted her priorities abruptly. Instead of worrying about milestones, she began to question whether her daughter would live or die.\n\nAs her daughter's health deteriorated, Davis Smith realized she could not maintain a demanding career. She needed to let go of the pressure to achieve wealth, a professional career, and good schools. Her daughter's severe disabilities meant she required constant care and medical attention, making it impossible for Davis Smith to work outside the home.\n\nThe author's life changed drastically, as she mourned the loss of her legal career, social life, and travel plans. However, she gradually focused on happiness and living in the present. Her definition of success shifted from a big house and nice car to enjoying life and living fully each day. She now emphasizes happiness and making time for activities that bring joy to her three typically developing children.\n\nDavis Smith has come to realize that life can change in an instant, and she now prioritizes thriving over surviving. She left her full-time job to pursue a more flexible career, such as adjunct professor and freelance writer, allowing her to spend more time with her family and herself.",
  "summary": "I pictured a career as a lawyer, a family, and kids who would have their own thriving careers. Having a child with disabilities changed my outlook.",
  "key_points": [
    "Jamie Davis Smith envisioned success as a thriving career and high-achieving children.",
    "Her daughter's birth with complex medical needs transformed her perspective on success.",
    "She now prioritizes happiness and spending time with her family over a demanding career."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}