Medical Stories

10/10/2025

Aubrey had just become a new wife and mother when she received a devastating diagnosis of Stage 3 breast cancer.

But instead of submitting to hopelessness, she resolved to fight back and prevent her disease from defining her life.

Medical Stories is honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month by featuring our Emmy Award-winning episode documenting Aubrey's journey.

You can watch it right here: https://shorturl.at/JI9QL

10/01/2025

When she was a child, Shaina had dreams of becoming a stand-up comic as an adult.

But she had to put those dreams on hold when she was diagnosed with Gaucher disease, a rare genetic disorder that can cause bone pain, enlarged organs, and bleeding problems.

At her home in Miami, Florida, the 34-year-old mother explains how despite her condition, she’s still determined to be there for her two daughters — and how she's managed to channel her pain into an opportunity to make people laugh.

We're highlighting Shaina's story to help raise awareness for this condition as part of International Gaucher Day. You can watch her story here: https://tinyurl.com/24n5ebrc

Featuring renowned expert: Neal J. Weinreb, MD, Voluntary Associate Professor of Human Genetics, University of Miami.

Also, Medical Stories would like to thank the Gaucher Community Alliance and National Gaucher Foundation for advancing research and supporting those afflicted with this disease.

09/26/2025

“When you hear you have cancer, you don't hear anything else. You just hear you have cancer.”

At first, husband and father Duane wasn’t optimistic when he discovered he had bladder cancer. And after his initial treatment seemed to cure him, his outlook worsened when the cancer returned.

Today, Duane has learned to live with his condition. And he’s adjusted his outlook to focus on the positive aspects of his life, what he calls his “slices of gold.”

Chief among those is his family, especially his daughter, Kristen, who’s helped him find treatment and support since he was diagnosed.

Learn more about Duane and his “slices of gold” by going here: https://shorturl.at/1rqNj

09/24/2025

Every time Joshua has a seizure, his mother, Nilsa, says, “I feel that I’m having that seizure right with him.”

Joshua has been struggling with epilepsy since he was 3 months old, when his mother was forced to take him to the emergency room after doctors realized he was having seizures.

But thanks to various treatments and surgeries, Joshua has fewer seizures today than when he was a toddler. And his mother believes he has a bright future ahead of him.

See more of Joshua and Nilsa’s story right here: https://shorturl.at/rrA2r

09/19/2025

It took her 47 years to get a diagnosis.

For most of her life, Renae, a mother of three, has dealt with symptoms like lesions on her body, hearing loss, and even infertility.

She went to numerous doctors growing up, but it wasn’t until she turned 50 that a blood test finally revealed she had plasminogen deficiency type one (PLGD-1), a rare genetic disorder.

Medical Stories caught up with Renae as she describes the experience of living with a strange disease as a young girl – and the treatment she found as an adult that gave her hope for the future.

Watch her full story right here: https://tinyurl.com/3y9urxe8

09/17/2025

Although she’s had Pompe disease since her thirties, Sandra, now in her sixties, wasn’t diagnosed until decades later.

Pompe disease is a rare genetic disorder that weakens a person’s muscles.

For Sandra, it’s meant years of lower back pain, with one incident forcing her to drive herself to the emergency room.

Sandra shared with Medical Stories about her decades-long journey of getting an accurate diagnosis, as well as how she’s living her life with an incurable condition.

Watch it right here: https://tinyurl.com/4attbtkt

09/12/2025

Infertility affects 1.5 million women in the U.S., and experts say that endometriosis is a contributing factor to half of those cases.

Although she experienced plenty of pain growing up, Sara wasn't diagnosed with endometriosis until she was in her thirties. But even though she could now begin treating her symptoms, doctors were unable to address her infertility.

In Brighton, Michigan, Sara and her husband, Brian, open up about what it was like dealing with a mysterious disease throughout their relationship, before revealing how their story wound up with an unexpected happy ending.

Watch Sara's story here: https://youtu.be/qb4THL-vOyw

Featuring renowned expert: Sawsan As-Sanie, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan.

Endometriosis affects millions of women across the U.S. Please COMMENT or SHARE to help spread awareness and fight back against this terrible disease.

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09/10/2025

“When Mike was first diagnosed…we had to figure out how to live it the best way we could, which meant if you woke up and it was a good day, you ran with it.” – Cathy, wife of Mike, who has Waldenström's macroglobulinemia

Medical Stories is highlighting the journey of 70-year-old Mike, who was diagnosed with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM), an extremely rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Mike's experience of learning to live with this disease took a toll on him and his wife, Cathy. But they eventually found an alternative treatment that offered him hope for a better future.

See more of their story here: https://tinyurl.com/pc2wwkd5

09/03/2025

On a scale of 1 to 10, Andrea, a Maryland resident, described her unexplained abdominal pains as a 15.

But despite her symptoms, it took her nearly two years to get diagnosed, as nearly every doctor she saw dismissed her issues.

Andrea has exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), a condition in which the pancreas doesn’t produce enough enzymes to help the body properly digest food.

Along with her husband, Jonathan, Andrea shares how she was tenacious about finding out what was ailing her, and the methods she’s using today to provide some relief from her excruciating pain.

Watch Andrea's story here: https://tinyurl.com/mxxk6nv5

Featuring renowned expert: ​​Andres Gelrud, MD, Director, Pancreatic Disease Center, Miami Cancer Institute.

You can help Andrea and so many others with rare diseases by COMMENTING and SHARING this post it for awareness.

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08/22/2025

In Florida, Ellen began experiencing recurring headaches and debilitating symptoms. After seeking answers, she discovered she had chronic migraines.

Every day brings new challenges for Ellen, but with her husband and daughter by her side, she finds strength to keep going.

And to learn more about Ellen’s experience, watch her story here:
https://tinyurl.com/5ys4x749

Do you or someone you know have a story like Ellen’s? Share it in the comments below and help raise awareness.

08/20/2025

Chronic migraine involves frequent or long-lasting headache and migraine episodes that can change day to day or even hour to hour, making it hard to distinguish where one ends and another begins.

It’s important to note: migraines are more than just bad headaches. While the term includes both headaches and migraines, they’re different.

Headaches, like tension-type headaches, are usually uncomfortable but don’t disrupt daily life much. Migraines, on the other hand, directly affect the brain and can be severe enough to interfere with your routine.

Learn more about these conditions and how to manage them by clicking the link below.

Chronic migraine is a condition that causes frequent migraines and headaches. This condition can create serious disruptions in your life, but it’s often treatable.

08/18/2025

“I didn’t even know it was a possibility to get my life back.”
– Ellen, who suffers from chronic migraines

In Florida, Ellen was experiencing recurring headaches and debilitating symptoms after her daughter was born. After seeking answers, she discovered she had chronic migraines, a complex and often misunderstood neurological condition.

Every day brings new challenges for Ellen, but with her husband and daughter by her side, she finds strength to keep going.

And you can watch Ellen’s full story here:
https://tinyurl.com/5ys4x749

With millions of people diagnosed with chronic migraines around the world, it’s time to shed light on their stories and struggles.

Do you or someone you know have a story like Ellen’s? Share it in the comments below and help raise awareness.