Medical Stories 800’s

Inventi Media Group
Rights:  4/1/26 to 4/30/2028; Exclusive 4/1/26 to 4/30/27  (Live Linear Streaming available)
12×30
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NOLA: MDST 000800 H1

801: Blind Spots
Joey, a father and husband, led a healthy and active life in Boulder, Colorado, regularly going hiking and mountain climbing. So at first he didn’t believe it when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, despite having no symptoms or family history of the disease.

Often called the “silent epidemic,” diabetes affects an estimated 30 million people in the United States – yet about 1 in 4 people living with the disease don’t even know they have it, according to the FDA. And in many cases, type 1 diabetes can often be misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes.

For Joey, a health screening showed his blood sugar was high, alerting him to his condition.

But although his diagnosis took him by surprise, today, he’s committed to adapting his lifestyle to manage his condition, without giving up the life he wants to live.

Later, in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, we meet Maria, a realtor who had always felt something was wrong with her eyes, but it took her over 10 years of visiting doctors before she was finally diagnosed.

Maria has neurotrophic keratitis (NK), a rare eye disease that affects the cornea, potentially leading to dry eyes, sensitivity to light, and even loss of vision, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Now 56 years old, Maria tells Medical Stories how her condition has altered parts of her life. But she also emphasizes how her husband, Wally, stepped up to care for her when she needed him most.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Kimber Simmons, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Early Type 1 Diabetes Clinic and Immunotherapy Program, University of Colorado Anschutz, and Mina Massaro-Giordano, MD, Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania.

802: Young Bravery
Growing up in Fairfax, Virginia, Lydia was a busy child, participating in soccer as well as singing and playing the piano. But she had to stop doing the things she loves when she became sick and doctors couldn’t figure out why.

It wasn’t until Lydia began to lose her vision that doctors finally discovered she had a large brain tumor called a pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG), which St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital says is the most common central nervous system tumor in children.

For 14-year-old Lydia, that meant she needed major surgery.

Lydia and her mom, Shannon, walk us through what it’s like to undergo a major operation at such a young age, and how it made them both stronger and more hopeful for the future.

Meanwhile, in Mountain Green, Utah, 16-year-old Sam was diagnosed with the most common type of cancer in children, yet doctors had never seen a case like his before.

Sam’s parents, Tausha and Doug, noticed a lump on his neck one day that concerned them. A short while later, they learned he has pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pALL), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, according to the National Cancer Institute. It’s also known as T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL).

But Sam’s case surprised his doctors as well, as he’s the first person with Down syndrome to have this type of disease.

That made Sam’s treatment twice as hard for both him and his family. But Tausha and Doug were more overwhelmed by the outpouring of support as their community rallied around their son.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Lindsay Kilburn, MD, Pediatric Neuro-Oncologist, Children’s National Hospital, and Luke Maese, DO, Pediatric Oncologist, Primary Children’s Hospital, University of Utah Health.

803: More Than Skin Deep
For 54-year-old Shanthi, who has vitiligo, it’s not the condition itself that causes pain. It’s her inability to hide it.

At first, Shanthi, an African-American woman living in Detroit, Michigan, was able to easily hide her vitiligo because it was only on her lips. But it wasn’t long before it started to spread and trigger discoloration in other parts of her body.

While there’s a widely held misconception that vitiligo only develops in African-Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health, it affects all skin colors equally.

As the vitiligo spread, more people started to stare at Shanthi, placing a heavy emotional burden on her. But as she tells Medical Stories, she found the support she needed when she opened up to her family, especially her niece, Diamond.

Later, Medical Stories visits Methi, another individual who developed a skin condition and spent nine years trying to find relief.

Methi has chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), a condition in which red, itchy welts develop randomly all over her body, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The hives caused so much pain that she remembers “wishing I could scratch with a cheese grater.”

For almost a decade, Methi lived in despair, searching in vain for a treatment that would help her. But not only did she find relief, she also found a way to use her experience to give back to others.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Richard H. Huggins, MD, Dermatologist, Henry Ford Health, and Jonathan Bernstein, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

804: Fighting Through Fatigue
For years, Toby dealt with a strange condition that caused her itching and discoloration in her skin. But despite all her attempts to figure out what it was, it took her a long time to get a diagnosis. Toby, a Philadelphia resident, has mycosis fungoides cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (MF-CTCL), which the Cleveland Clinic identifies as a rare non-Hodgkin’s skin lymphoma. Because of her darker skin, a diagnosis eluded Toby and her doctors, who misdiagnosed her illness. But while the symptoms affected her quality of life, the changes in her skin also diminished her confidence in her appearance. But when Toby finally found a doctor who knew what was wrong, not only did she begin an effective treatment plan, she learned how to be proud of herself in her own skin.

Meanwhile, for Dora, who’s dealt with four episodes of breast cancer, one of the most challenging aspects has been the chemotherapy. Dora, who’s 63 years old and lives in Monck’s Corner, South Carolina, has developed chemotherapy-infused nausea and vomiting (CINV) since she started treatment. The National Cancer Institute says up to 80% of people undergoing chemo experience these side effects.

For Dora, that means losing her hair and constantly feeling sick and fatigued. Through it all, she’s relied not only on her doctors, but on her family, especially her husband, Cleveland, to help give her strength through the ordeal.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Larisa Geskin, MD, Professor and Director, Cutaneous Oncology, Columbia University; Ellen Kim, MD, Professor of Dermatology, and Director, Penn Cutaneous Lymphoma Program, University of Pennsylvania; and Yanis Bellil, MD, Medical Oncologist, Lowcountry Oncology Associates.

805: Out of Rhythm
As a cardiologist in Vero Beach, Florida, Howard was used to treating heart problems. But despite his expertise, he was caught off-guard when he developed his own heart condition.

Howard has atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular and rapid rhythm in the upper chambers of the heart. It can lead to complications like stroke or heart failure, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Medical Stories documents how because of his background, Howard’s journey with AFib was unique – as well as the cutting-edge procedure that helped treat his condition.

Later, in Bethesda, Maryland, we visit Nina, who battled constant health problems growing up, including deformities in her hand and trouble with her spine. But it wasn’t until she was a teenager that she experienced a life-threatening emergency.

Nina suffered an aortic dissection, in which her aorta tore open, causing blood to split apart the artery. Thankfully, doctors were able to save her life, but that was just the beginning of her ordeal, as she needed a transplant to prevent her from being hospitalized again.

Nina details how challenging her experience was, while also highlighting how her mom helped her push through the recovery process, even inspiring her to pursue a new dream.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Vivek Reddy, MD, Director of Electrophysiology, Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, and James Black, MD, Chief of Vascular Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Professor of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University.

806: Quiet Warnings
For Rick, his diagnosis of prostate cancer didn’t hit him until he realized he would have to tell his kids.

Rick had been enjoying his retirement in Sarasota, Florida, when he started having severe leg pain. After initial testing forced him to investigate further, he learned he had prostate cancer, the second-most common cancer in men in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.

But during his treatment, Rick not only kept a positive attitude – he found a way to give back that became his new purpose in life.

Later, we meet David, who was born in South Korea but raised by his adoptive parents in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he enjoyed a happy childhood. But when he turned 13, he received some devastating news: He had a serious medical condition called hepatitis B.

According to the World Health Organization, it’s a viral affection that can attack the liver. Although he didn’t have any symptoms, David struggled with his condition at first, becoming withdrawn at school and refusing to commit to proper treatment.

But as he shares with Medical Stories, David’s family inspired him to not lose hope and even become an advocate for those dealing with the same disease.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Kosj Yamoah, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, and Nancy Reau, MD, Section Chief of Hepatology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.

807: Weight of Imbalance
Lauren knew something was wrong during her second pregnancy.

She had strange symptoms like enlarged feet and excessive sweating, but her doctors blamed it on diabetes. It wasn’t until after she gave birth that she learned she had acromegaly, caused by a tumor in her brain.

Acromegaly is a rare illness triggered by the pituitary gland in the brain. The Mayo Clinic says that when this gland makes too much growth hormone, it can cause the hands, feet, and other parts of the body to become larger than normal.

Luckily, Lauren’s diagnosis wasn’t a death sentence. Thanks to new treatments and the support of her husband, Lauren found a way to manage her disease – and even give back to the acromegaly community.

Afterward, Medical Stories travels to Lumberton, North Carolina, where a woman named Pam was struggling to get her diabetes under control. She was on insulin as well as dozens of other medications. But she couldn’t lose weight and even ended up in the ICU twice.

Finally, after some tests, Pam learned she didn’t have diabetes at all.

Instead, she has hypercortisolism, which the Cleveland Clinic defines as when the body produces too much of the “stress hormone” cortisol.

Pam tells Medical Stories how she finally got the help she needed to fight her disease. And she also explains how the experience led to her finding her husband, Ronnie.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Wenyu Huang, MD, PhD, Endocrinologist, Northwestern Medicine, and Richard Auchus, MD, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, University of Michigan.

808: A Blueprint Within
Dini knew something was wrong with her second daughter, Ayoni, from the moment she was born. But it would take her nearly five years to find out what it was.

Ayoni has Prader-Willi syndrome, which according to the Mayo Clinic is a rare genetic disease that only affects about 20,000 newborns.

It led to several challenges for Dini and her husband, Anju, in raising Ayoni. One of the most difficult symptoms of the illness is hyperphagia, an intense hunger that never goes away.

Dini and Anju share their journey in helping Ayoni and preventing her disease from tearing their family apart.

Later, we meet Julie, who was dead for about five minutes before her husband saved her life.

Julie has HFpEF, a form of heart failure. The National Institutes of Health say it’s more common in women than men and accounts for at least half the cases of heart failure in women.

Julie dealt with the condition for over a decade before she finally acquired a pacemaker, which immediately improved her health – until several years later, when the device failed and she went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully, her husband, Gregg, was able to ensure she made it to a hospital, where she was successfully revived.

Today, Julie is in the best shape of her life and doing better than ever. She tells Medical Stories how she’s adapted to her condition, and how it even brought her and her husband closer together.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Jennifer Miller, MD, Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology, University of Florida; Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc, Chief of Cardiology, Northwestern Medicine, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute; and Jane Wilcox, MD, Associate Chief of Cardiology, Northwestern Medicine, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute.

809: Dire Deficiencies
When Randy first started having strange symptoms of fatigue and weight loss, he feared he had pancreatic cancer.

But Randy was eventually diagnosed with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), a protein disorder that affects the heart. According to the American Heart Association, it is often mistaken for other cardiac conditions, which frequently delays a proper diagnosis.

For Randy, that meant he had to change how he approached his lifelong passion, hockey. But that wasn’t his biggest concern. He tells Medical Stories how at first he was worried what impact his medical journey would have on his family – only to learn he actually inspired them through his perseverance to continue living his life.

Later, we travel to Highlands Ranch, Colorado, where 16-year-old Sam shares one of his biggest struggles growing up.

Sam had growth hormone deficiency (GHD), which prevented him from developing like most kids. It wasn’t long before Sam started feeling isolated from other kids because of his condition, and his mom, Meagan, realized something had to be done.

Medical Stories sits down with Sam and Meagan as they relate how they discovered Sam’s deficiency – and the treatment that helped them fix it.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts David Wolinsky, MD, Founder and Emeritus Director, Cardiac Amyloidosis Center, Cleveland Clinic Florida, and Jose David Gamez, MD, Pediatric Endocrinologist, Driscoll Children’s Hospital.

810: Blood Battles
When Maria started feeling sick at work, she feared that her colon cancer had come back. But she soon learned that it was actually a different condition that came with its own life-threatening risks.

Maria had warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia, or wAIHA, an autoimmune disorder that targets healthy red blood cells, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. One of its symptoms is potential organ failure.

Maria relied on her husband, Gerson, to help her get through the treatment. But they both faced another complication when shortly after her ordeal with wAIHA, Maria learned that she was pregnant.

Meanwhile, for David, a retiree from New Port Richey, Florida, traveling and hiking around the country were some of his biggest passions. But those hobbies were threatened when he started experiencing strange symptoms his doctors couldn’t explain, like dizziness and double vision.

David was eventually diagnosed with polycythemia vera (PV), a rare blood cancer that causes his bone marrow to make too many red blood cells, which can lead to life-threatening complications like blood clots.

At first, the 68-year-old felt that his condition shackled his usually active lifestyle. But David relied on his family, as well as his training as a former Alcoholics Anonymous member, to learn how to persevere through his ordeal.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Irina Murakhovskaya, MD, Associate Professor, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Andrew Kuykendall, MD, Assistant Member, Department of Malignant Hematology, Moffitt Cancer Center.

811: Early Impact
When Roxana first found a lump in her breast, she dismissed it as just another harmless cyst. But her situation soon took a turn for the worse.

Roxana was diagnosed with early breast cancer, the same disease that her mother died of. Luckily, because it was caught early, she was able to undergo effective treatment. But it still took a toll on her, affecting her schooling as well as her fertility.

As Roxana tells her story, she emphasizes the importance of her loved ones, whether it was her breast cancer support group, or her brother, Ronney.

Meanwhile, Emma’s parents knew something was wrong with her when she was still a toddler. While other kids ran at daycare, Emma could only walk. She’d wake up in the middle of the night screaming that her legs were in pain. And she had to get a root
canal at age 3.

It wasn’t until later that Emma was diagnosed with X-linked hypophosphatemia, or XLH, a rare genetic disorder that weakens an individual’s bones and teeth, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Emma’s mother, Bridget, walks us through the ups and downs of trying to get Emma’s diagnosis, and how it led to Emma finally getting to enjoy life as a teenager.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Carmen Calfa, MD, Breast Medical Oncologist and Medical Director, Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute; Mandy Hathaway, MD, Medical Oncologist, University Cancer & Blood Center; and Jill Simmons, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

812: Alzheimer’s: Overlooked Changes
Alzheimer’s disease is known for its cognitive symptoms such as memory loss, but it can also have devastating behavioral effects, including depression, insomnia, and higher aggression. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, these symptoms make up about 30% of the cost of caring for those with Alzheimer’s.

Medical Stories follows three people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, as well as their loved ones.

In Missouri, Karen used to be an outgoing woman, but her condition has taken a toll on her social life, forcing her son, Kris, to step up and care for her.

Meanwhile, Ann realized something was wrong with her husband, Richard, when he packed up all their belongings in their car without knowing where he was going. In Aventura, Florida, she explains how she’s learned to help her husband enjoy life even as he becomes less independent.

And finally, Margaret takes care of her mother, Norma, who is living with Alzheimer’s in Kendall, Florida. Along with her daughter, Mekia, Margaret goes into detail about the exhausting nature of being a caretaker for a family member with the disease.

This episode also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts George T. Grossberg, MD, Inaugural Henry & Amelia Nasrallah Endowed Professor and Director of Geriatric Psychiatry, Saint Louis University; and Marc Agronin, MD, Chief Medical Officer, MIND Institute, Miami Jewish Health.