Many of us living with chronic illness and disability feel completely alone, never meeting anyone going through something similar. Society pressures us to keep quiet about our health challenges. Sometimes even our doctors don’t understand our needs. It’s time to break through these norms and let our voices be heard.
The Major Pain podcast is an ongoing project highlighting the experiences of our chronically ill and disabled community. Each week we ask our guest “What is your major pain?” Through the resulting conversations we spread knowledge, awareness, empathy and community, proving time and again that we are not alone. In fact, there are countless individuals going through similar challenges. If feel that you are the only person living through a rare disease or invisible illness, the only person for whom doctors can’t provide a diagnosis, or the only disabled person in a sea of able bodies, then this show is for you.
Whether you have a Major Pain of your own, are a caregiver, or you’re looking to learn about medical conditions from the perspective of those experiencing them, this podcast is a great resource that is growing every week. You can subscribe on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or listen right here on our website.
Major Pain features interviews from real people living with chronic illness, chronic pain, undiagnosed conditions, rare disease, invisible illness, mental health challenges and disabilities of many kinds. The show is hosted and produced by Jesse Mercury, a content creator with a long history of chronic undiagnosed illness.
Willemijn lives with a rare condition called visual snow syndrome, or VSS. She sees static in her entire field of vision, no matter if her eyes are open or closed. This constantly moving static is Read more…
Today we are kicking off the fifth season of Major Pain! Jesse reflects on the past year before we jump into three interviews with previous guests, updating us on their health journeys. Joey tells us Read more…
Since being diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder, Sarah Fox has made it her mission to break down the stigma surrounding mental health. She is the host of the Rough Edges podcast, which provides tools for Read more…
Alex Burket believes that his bout with bacterial meningitis in middle school may have saved his life, because it led to the discovery of his type 1 diabetes. Although meningitis resolved in about a month, Read more…
Pallavi’s journey through chronic pain began with physical agony, but led to spiritual transformation. She grew up in India with a deep love of dance that had turned into a passionate career in her early Read more…
The normal gestation period for birth is 40 weeks, and anything under 37 weeks is considered premature or preterm birth. Preeti experienced a premature birth at 24 weeks in 1989, weighing only 2 pounds, an Read more…