Dr. Tasha Faruqui

Physician • Author • Speaker • Advocate

Hi, I’m Tasha.

I am a pediatrician, author, speaker, and medical advocate based in Cincinnati, Ohio. I am also a wife and mom to three beautiful girls.

When my second daughter, Soraya, was born with a rare medical condition, the trajectory of my family’s life changed. Soraya’s medical condition remains undiagnosed twelve years later, and she is now in hospice. This places us in the difficult position of trying to navigate how to live—and live joyfully—with the knowledge that she is dying.

Whether through writing, speaking engagements, advocacy work, or sharing our journey with my Instagram community, I am passionate about advocating for parents of medically complex children, raising awareness about anticipatory grief, and helping others live by our family motto: Suck the Joy Out of Life.

Anticipatory Grief:

Anticipatory grief is the feeling of grief that occurs before a loss. Rather than grieving the loss of a person, anticipatory grief might be better understood as grieving the loss of experiences, possibilities, or an imagined future together.

(Source: Health Direct)

  • Public Speaker

    Tasha regularly brings her dynamic message of choosing to live in light and love even when navigating unthinkable loss to non-profit events, fundraisers, and hospitals in Ohio and beyond. With over a decade of public speaking experience and an uncanny ability to transform even the most personal experiences into a universally relatable message, Tasha has proven to be a powerful addition to any event, whether speaking solo or as part of a panel.

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  • Author

    Tasha’s forthcoming memoir Keep Your Head Up is a testament to the depth of familial love and the hard things we can endure with grace and resilience. There are some issues in life that simply cannot be fixed, yet we can continue to find happy moments and celebrate the beauty of what we have. This story gives a voice to parents and loved ones of terminally ill children, illuminating the way to comfort, community, and unbreakable hope.

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  • Medical Advocate

    Tasha's personal experiences as a mother and physician have driven her to focus on advocating for parents of medically complex children and those with a limited life expectancy. In addition to being a Make-A-Wish Ambassador, Tasha provides a supportive community for the loved ones of chronically and terminally ill children and those experiencing anticipatory grief via her Instagram page, @thefaruqui5.

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Keep Your Head Up

With beautiful narration and a heartfelt perspective, Keep Your Head Up is a testament to the depth of familial love and our ability to endure in the face of childhood terminal illness.

Coming September 16, 2025.

  • "Tasha's words are a masterclass in courage. In holding grief and joy at the same time. In creating meaning from suffering and making space for both the unbearable and the beautiful."

    Chrissie Ott, MD

  • "We couldn't be more thankful for your family's vulnerability, advocacy, and commitment to granting wishes beyond Soraya's. It has been our honor to hear and tell your story with our community."

    Make-A-Wish Foundation (OH, KY, IN)

  • "You speaking about the unspeakable has more impact than you know."

    Instagram follower Rose Bacon

  • "The whole human race needs to read [this book] to get these different perspectives and learn more empathy towards each other."

    Early reader of Tasha’s forthcoming memoir

  • "I have been following your Instagram page since you started it last year and am consistently awed by your articulate and honest insights. Your call for illumination of unseen facets of your and others’ experiences, for respite access for parents, for help navigating systems and resources, and for peer connection with other families all resonate so thoroughly. Thank you for your willingness to share your family’s story and reflect so openly with us."

    Amy Porter, MD, PhD | Division of Supportive and Palliative Care at MassGeneral for Children

  • "In my almost 30-year career, I have been to a lot of galas, banquets, fundraisers, celebrations, etc. I have never experienced anything like Tasha at the 2024 Southern Ohio Wish Gala. I was in awe! It was a privilege to be in that room with her."

    Mandi Custer, Area Director of Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana

  • "I have been following [your Instagram account] since your first few posts. I feel so much joy being able to learn about how you are all handling this situation and grief. It's taught me so much. Thank you."

    Instagram follower Tina Leung

  • "Our keynote speaker, Dr. Tasha Faruqui, simply stole the show as she shared a simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming story of her beautiful daughter, Soraya, and her struggles with an as-of-yet undiagnosed illness. Her talk was punctuated by moving videos of her daughter and provided an honest and raw perspective of what it’s like caring for a child with special needs. I don’t imagine anyone there had dry eyes—I certainly didn’t."

    Don Davis, MD | President of Emerald Coast Medical Association

  • "I have really enjoyed following your Instagram page and seeing the transparency of your family and your day-to-day lives. Every single person can take something away from your content, even if they cannot directly relate to dealing with a medical condition."

    Instagram follower @chelsaintgoin

Keep up with the Faruqui 5

Featured
Soraya’s Annual Neuromuscular Appointment
Soraya’s Annual Neuromuscular Appointment

Our annual visit with Soraya’s neuromuscular doctor came and went… the mood was somber and noticeably different from years past.

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Sometimes, Rescheduling is More than Just Frustrating
Sometimes, Rescheduling is More than Just Frustrating

We left our first try at the test feeling really defeated, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.

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The Test that Didn’t Go According to Plan
The Test that Didn’t Go According to Plan

We were READY for Soraya’s metabolic cart test... but there were more than a few challenges.

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Discussing School Supports for… After
Discussing School Supports for… After

It seems like as Soraya’s health declines, the amount of heavy conversations we have to have only grows.

Read More →

Follow our journey on Instagram

One of the most important things for our Hawaii trip was to capture the memories, and @alexisgerenphotography did just that 📸 Pictures with my parents, my aunt, my brother and SIL, and my cousins...along with our incredible caregiver Kaytlin, all
We made it home to Cincinnati after a LONG day of travel! HUGE shout-out to the crew on @delta flight #310 from Honolulu to Detroit. Our seats had been separated and Soraya needed to have at least two adults with her for her vent and g-tube med
After our ukulele lesson yesterday, Soraya really wanted a lesson but felt like coming out of our hotel room would take too much energy. She said she wished that she could just have a lesson in the room… That gave me an idea 💡 I ran down t
Soraya’s intro to our trip, and pictures from our first night and morning in Hawaii 🌺 #livejoyfully #createhappiness #undiagnosed #spooniecommunity #specialneedsfamily #medicallycomplex #specialneedsparenting