Case #02: Athena

10/17/22 • 30 min

As a young teenager, Athena began experiencing pimple-like abscesses in various areas of her body. For years, doctors attributed the painful lesions to poor hygiene, shaming Athena into internalizing and enduring her chronic inflammatory condition in silence. Pushing through pain, embarrassment and self-blame, Athena meets a young doctor who finally gives her hope - and a name - for her disorder.

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If you’re looking for more information on Hidradenitis Suppurativa, you can check out the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation by heading to HS-Foundation.org. You can also explore Athena Gierbolini’s work with Hope for HS.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Previous Episode

Case #01: Nyobie

Nyobie grew up knowing there was something different about her body. As a young woman, she was plagued by unexplained symptoms doctors initially dismissed as part of puberty. But persistent pain and swelling in her arms and legs were just the beginning of her battle. After 19 years of being silenced and misled, Nyobie finally found a life-changing doctor - and diagnosis.

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If you’re looking for more information on Lupus, you can check out the Lupus Foundation of America by heading to Lupus.org. You can also learn more about Nyobie Gordon-Rick and the work of National Health Educator Leticia Ocaña.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Episode

Case #03: Zach

Zach was your average 11-year-old who loved pizza, sports, and going fishing with his Dad until an incident at a baseball game changed his life forever. As an illness quickly takes hold and wreaks havoc on his body, it’s a race against the clock to figure out what’s happening and save Zach’s life.

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To find out more information on Sepsis, visit Sepsis.org.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Symptomatic: A Medical Mystery Podcast - Case #02: Athena

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:04.719

It was watching my body start to deform by itself, like it was doing it to itself, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. The most difficult part is the pain, the pain and more pain. We're not inside their body, so we don't know exactly what they're feeling and what they're going through. It takes a lot of courage. You don't know if it's going to spread. And so I was like, this is absolute fear. How terrifying would it be to fight an unknown enem