A photo of podcast guest Alia, who discusses her mysterious chronic illness

Doctors Ignored Alia’s Mystery Illness Until It Was Almost Too Late

In the lifespan of this podcast we have never heard a story quite like Alia’s. Up until she was 27, she was living a healthy, active life. She was a vegetarian since the age of 15, and an avid gym-goer who continued to hit personal bests on lifts. Using her degree in philosophy Read more

A photo of podcast guest Stacey with the Rare Patient Voice logo

Stacey From Rare Patient Voice on Her Path to Advocacy

Stacey is seemingly living the dream. Working as a social media manager and patient advocate for Rare Patient Voice, she balances work with being a wife, mother, dog mom, caregiver, and pursuing her goal of a happy healthy home on the islands of Hawaii. For most people the normal struggles Read more

A photo of Brenda Snow, author of 'Diagnosed,' who discusses her multiple sclerosis journey

Brenda Snow, Author of ‘Diagnosed,’ On Her MS Journey

Brenda Snow was diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in the early 1990s, during an era when treatment was minimal and the condition was poorly understood—a time often marked by a ‘diagnosis and adios’ approach. Like many facing chronic illness, her diagnostic journey was filled with medical gaslighting and doctors Read more

A photo of Willemijn, who discusses visual snow syndrome

Living with Visual Snow Syndrome

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 black and white, similar to that of an old TV. The static itself is only Read more

Sarah Fox on the Intersection of Mental Health and Faith

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 mental health education and examines the intersection between faith and mental health. Sarah’s faith journey Read more

Tayler’s EDS was Screaming for Attention, But Doctors Ignored It

Looking back through the history of her medical challenges, it becomes painfully obvious that Tayler was born with the connective tissue disease EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome). Unfortunately, the lack of quality healthcare in her youth prevented this diagnosis for many years. She struggled physically throughout childhood, often being accused of laziness Read more

Before Helping Others With CFS Recovery, Miguel Battled For His Health

After recovering from CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome aka myalgic encephalomyelitis) Miguel Bautista felt like he had a new lease on life. At the height of his illness he was unable to walk or sit up in bed and needed meals blended so he could drink them. Now he is running Read more

Amee is Finally Opening Up About Epilepsy 35 Years After Being Diagnosed

When Amee was first diagnosed with epilepsy at 8 years old, one simple medication was able to control her disease. This made it easy to hide her illness from almost everyone in her life, which remained the case for about 35 years. Of course there were complications along the way. Read more

Being Crushed by a Tree Changed Steve Lovelace’s Life Forever

In 1982 Steve Lovelace was pinned by a felled tree that barber chaired, meaning it split lengthwise while being cut down. His injuries were severe – his face and several vertebrae were crushed. Steve found himself instantly paralyzed and stuck under this tree, where he would remain for hours while Read more

Announcing the Undiagnosed Disease Fund!

Andi and Jesse are married! For their wedding registry they asked their community to donate to an Undiagnosed Disease Fund, with the goal of raising enough money to provide genetic testing for an individual in need. Full genome sequencing can be helpful for individuals with a mystery illness, either to Read more