HSCT Warriors

Warrior: Denise Bishop Snowflake: Stiff Person Syndrome HSCT: 9/12/17, Chicago Superpower: Increased empathy Have you ever found yourself distracted by concern for the people in your life that are stressed about your condition? Do you question whether the resources you find when researching your condition are of comparable quality to the resources your doctors can access? Have you learned how to e...

Warrior: Dave Carey Snowflake: RRMS HSCT: 9/11/17, Chicago Superpower: Perspective When you pause to reflect about what has changed during a year, what do you see or feel? If you take time to recognize your own personal successes, have you ever hesitated to share what you find with others? Meet Dave, a warrior who tried nearly every treatment available to treat his multiple sclerosis before finall...

Warrior: Ellie Baum Snowflake: RRMS HSCT: 6/16/16, Chicago Superpower: Tuning into the body Do you know the importance of truly understanding your body? Can you get comfortable with letting go of expectations? Meet Ellie, a warrior diagnosed with multiple sclerosis who received HSCT at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in June, 2016. Ellie initially found HSCT in 2003 but didn’t find herself ready fo...

Warrior: Dustin Fairchild AI: Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: 4/19/17, Chicago Superpower: Zen Do you find yourself struggling to adapt with shifting realities of autoimmune disease? Are you looking to find peace in your life? Or get inspired by transformational journeys? Meet Dustin, a warrior diagnosed with multiple sclerosis who received HSCT at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, four...

Warrior: Ali Roberts Snowflake: RRMS HSCT: 11/6/17, Chicago Superpower: Motivation Have you ever found yourself on a road you’ve never been down before? Found strength to navigate a pathway that is far from straightforward? Uncovered faith where you never believed it could exist? Meet Ali, a warrior diagnosed with multiple sclerosis who “just doesn’t settle well for [being told] ‘there’s nothing l...

Warrior: John Taylor AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: September 2019 at Northwestern Superpower: Appreciation Have you ever tried to describe the sensation of severe pain, despite knowing that you’re also physically numb? When side effects and risk outweigh the good, how do you make a choice? How do you feel when selected for the chance of a lifetime, knowing others have to miss that chance? After yea...

Warrior: Kim Rodning AI: Scleroderma HSCT: September 4, 2018 at Duke University Medical Center Superpower: perseverance, patience, and perspective Do you practice daily affirmations of positivity? Does your self talk promote healing or judgment? How does hearing the stories of other Warriors help you? Having encountered the possibility of HSCT by chance, Kim explored more about the research and pr...

Warrior: Lynn Rogers AI: Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) HSCT Hopeful: Superpower: widened lens Have you ever worried about asking people for help when their investment isn't a sure thing? How do you define barriers to treatment for your autoimmune disease? As a triathlete, crossfit-er, and marathoner preparing for an Ironman race, imagine the frustration when Lynn found h...

Warrior: Sagirah Ahmed Norris AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: January 2020 Superpower: flexibility Are you someone who prefers to schedule a plan for every detail in life? After first being diagnosed, Sagirah found herself more driven than ever to complete life goals ahead of schedule while she was able, including travel to foreign countries to run marathons. Once her symptoms began matching what her...

Warrior: Brooke Slick AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: 2013 Superpower: Surrender Are you able to surrender to all that seems out of your control? How easy is it for you to allow things to just happen? Revisit Brooke’s journey to HSCT and learn more about the setbacks she has faced post-HSCT, (including surgeries for trigeminal neuralgia) but also the influence of mindset, and the inspirations she has...

Warrior: Felicia Merritt AI: Progressive Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: August 2020 Superpower: Feeling invincible Have you ever suddenly realized just how much you were taking for granted? Have you been able to find internal strength? What about internal peace? Shortly after turning 30, Felicia began experiencing vision issues and weakness. Following an intense crossfit workout, Felicia hoped she could...

Warrior: Marlo Kalb AI: Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: confidence to fight back Superpower: 9.30.19 How will you face the many curves that lie ahead? Diagnosed at just 13 years old, Marlo found herself eager for HSCT after doing research and listening to this podcast. First interviewed as a HSCT Hopeful during Season 2, Marlo shared her journey to become the first person transplanted...

Warrior: DeWayne Durr AI: Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: scheduled for September, 2020 Superpower: prayer and understanding How comfortable are you with difficult or impossible situations? How direct are you about the care you receive from your doctors? When faced with the chance of being randomly assigned to receive HSCT, would you feel conflicted? After DeWayne researched the disea...

Warrior: Michelle Webb AI: Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: 5/19 Superpower: Compassion and understanding Are you someone to believe that everything happens for a reason? How often does your experience with disease cancel plans with friends and family? How often are you kind to your body and mind? After realizing the eighth disease modifying therapy she tried (since 2011) wasn’t helpin...

Warrior: Ron Gabrielli AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: 5/6/17 Superpower: Hope How inspired are you to help others? How important are caregivers in your journey with disease? After enjoying such an incredible experience at Clinica Ruiz, Ron and his wife have spent countless hours connecting with individuals to answer questions and share support to help people make informed decisions about HSCT. While...

Warrior: Chelsey Bell AI: RRMS HSCT: 7/11/18 Superpower: Self awareness How often do you find time to reflect on what works for your body? Have you been able to truly appreciate time with yourself? How does it feel to connect with someone else over commonalities? Sharing insights to her solo experience getting to Moscow, Chelsey offers so much inspiration for the importance of mindset, taking time...

Warrior: Jan-Marie AI: RRMS HSCT: 6/20 Superpower: Patience How often do you take doctors’ first opinions without questioning? How often do you take time for self-care? Not only does Jan-Marie set a shining example to approach life with optimism and positivity, she offers insight into what it’s like to research scientific evidence to inform opinion, foster support both emotionally and financially,...

Have you experienced pain so severe it has robbed you of living? How do you find courage? What choices can you find each day? Our season openers would not be the same without checking in with Ali Strong about her experiences post-HSCT with diet and nutrition, exercise, mindset, wellness, and personal challenges to continue promoting wellness, healing and longevity. Based on Ali’s experience with m...

Warrior: Jess Green AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: February 2019 at St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney Superpower: Love and compassion from others When your doctors run out of options, are you ready to suggest a course of action? Despite the scary struggle or the bad times, can you find the goodness? How strong is your support system? With a relatively quick diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis after her fir...

Warrior: Lydia Rosenbaum AI: Crohn’s Disease HSCT: August 2002 at Northwestern Memorial, Chicago Superpower: Empathy and self-efficacy How often do you push your limits? After spending time planning to die, how do you shift to celebrate success with surviving? How do you find compassion for people who have never walked in your shoes? Despite suffering extreme complications with Crohn’s disease tha...

Warrior: Tamara Netzel AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: Dec. 2019, Monterrey Mexico Superpower: Truth Have you ever been close to gaining resolution, only for it to slip through the cracks? How long has it taken for you to feel supported by your doctors? What would it look like if you pledged to help just one person get to HSCT? After a long road to securing the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, the fi...

Warrior: Craig Witkowski AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: September 2019 in Puebla Superpower: Patience  Do you find it tough to maintain patience with yourself or doctors? How easily do you find a positive mental outlook? How tightly do you hold on to hope?  After being on a first-line drug to hold off initial onset of his MS symptoms, Craig found benefit for a few years until he stopped the medicati...

Warrior: Meghan Newell Davis AI: Scleroderma HSCT: 1/22/19 at Duke University Superpower: Unbreakable Have you ever watched a doctor google your symptoms to find help? How often do you take the little things in life for granted? As you move through life, do you take caution not to 'poke the bear'? Celebrating a son just one year younger than her new immune system, Meghan offers our listeners a gli...

Warrior: Jess Faulds AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: July 2019 in Calgary, CA Superpower: Sensation and mental strength  How do you react when people stare at you? At what age did you feel confident about managing your options with autoimmune disease? Where do you find faith in humanity? Being diagnosed with MS at 15 years young certainly wasn’t a walk in the park for Jess, but it motivated her to ke...

Warrior: Ali Roberts AI: Multiple Sclerosis HSCT: 11/6/17 Superpower: Gratitude Do you believe in the power of self-talk?  That the words you say to yourself become the narrative that you fulfill?  Where do you find yourself bringing attention? Revisit our Season Four opener and conversation with Ali Strong about her experiences post-HSCT with diet and nutrition, exercise, stress, shingles, mindse...