Lifespan

Sudden, catastrophic illnesses often perplex doctors and terrify patients. In Doug Mann’s case, doctors at multiple medical centers could not figure out why he was experiencing a rapidly spreading paralysis in his legs. Months passed before he received a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

We hear it all the time: “breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world.” But as you’ll learn from these stories, today’s breastfeeding mothers are running into difficulties. Sarah Rubin had been prepared to battle the medicalization of birth but had not anticipated the medicalization of breastfeeding. Clare Chambers was unprepared for sleep deprivation. Lauren Hill thought her job as a nurse had prepared her to breastfeed. But, she reported, “Things were really rocky at the beginning.” Michele Biddlestone, an international board certified lactation consultant, sympathizes with their experiences and describes the unique contemporary pressures faced by breastfeeding mothers.

When Steve Miner was 18 years old, he fell 150 feet off a cliff in Northern California. He tells his story.

On Lifespan, you’ll hear stories about encounters with the health care system. Each show contains stories bound by a common theme: chronic illness, substance abuse, end-of-life care—the topics will keep coming. The stories are deeply personal. Some suggest the best approaches to handling or treating an illness. Other stories simply reflect on an illness after it’s over or contain lessons on how best to communicate with physicians. Even when multiple people are describing their experience with the same disease or condition or treatment, each account is unique. If the subject of this podcast interests you, please subscribe to Lifespan wherever you access your podcasts. You can also listen to Lifespan at WOUB.org/listen.