High Liver Enzymes on Interferon: Why I Had to Stop Treatment - Ep. 33

High Liver Enzymes on Interferon: Why I Had to Stop Treatment - Ep. 33

When you treat a cancer that can't be cured, you don't just manage the disease, you manage what the treatment does to the rest of you. My liver numbers climbed high enough that I had to come off my medication entirely. This episode is the cascade that followed: the referral, months of waiting, vials of blood, a FibroScan, and the relief of an answer.

150 Appointments: What Rare Disease Treatment Actually Costs - Ep. 32

150 in-office treatment appointments in a single year. Three days a week, every week, driving to another city because there's no NBUVB light where I live — or where I work. In this episode, I'm talking about what treatment actually costs: the miles, the time, the scheduling, the money. And the harder question underneath all of it — whose job actually lets them do this? Because not everyone has the flexibility I do. And that matters.

Two Days in the Halls of Power - Ep. 31

What does it actually look like to walk into a state legislature and fight for rare disease patients? This episode, I share what I learned from two days advocating at the NC Legislature with the Everylife Foundation for Rare Diseases — what surprised me about how state lawmakers think, why the knowledge gap isn't what I expected, and what a single staffer's comment about a stack of one-pagers taught me about what advocacy actually requires. Plus: three NC bills that still need your voice.

Inside Rare Disease Week: Taking Advocacy to Capitol Hill (Part 2), Ep. 30

In Part 2 of my Rare Disease Week experience, I take you inside what it’s actually like meeting with lawmakers and their staff on Capitol Hill. I talk about how patient stories influence policy, how advocacy conversations unfold, and why showing up matters for the rare disease community.

Inside Rare Disease Week: A Patient Advocate on Capitol Hill (Part 1), Ep. 29

I just returned from Rare Disease Week in Washington, DC, where patients, caregivers, and advocates come together to push for change in the healthcare system. In this episode, I share what federal advocacy actually looks like—from packed briefing rooms to meetings on Capitol Hill—and why these conversations matter so much for people living with rare diseases. I talk about what surprised me, what I learned, and why patient voices are essential in shaping healthcare policy.