Joyfully Disabled: Living With Over 20 Diagnoses

A photo of podcast guest Sarah, who discusses being joyfully disabled, ballroom dancing with two partners

As a baby, Sarah didn’t know that her diagnosis with asthma would be the first in a long list of diagnoses that would eventually grow to over twenty. Today she manages these conditions with the help of her husband Dan and cat Daisy. She juggles her self care with working as a fundraiser for a charity organization and screening films for the South by Southwest film festival. When not working, she finds joyful movement as a ballroom dancer.

In this episode of the Major Pain podcast, Jesse talks with Sarah about her health journey, including several illnesses we have never discussed on the show before. The first is exercise induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO), an asthma like condition involving the vocal chords closing, which prevents patients from bringing in air properly during intense physical activity. The second is lichen sclerosus, a skin condition causing discolored and thin skin. Due to the sensitive and personal nature of this condition it can be extremely hard to discuss, making first-hand information scarce. Other topics of discussion include central auditory processing disorder, making it difficult to understand words spoken in a noisy or distracting environment, and managing neurodivergence on top of multiple physical conditions.

Sarah is continuing to work at being joyfully disabled. She hopes to show others that with a little accommodation you can live a full life with chronic illness. She wants others to take the advice she has the most trouble taking herself, to be compassionate to yourself, and know that gratitude is not a competition.

Watch the episode on YouTube or Spotify, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.