Dr. Denise Millstine hosts author Julia Phillips and pulmonologist Dr. Ana Zamora explores the emotional and clinical realities of interstitial lung disease through the lens of Phillips’ novel BEAR. As we discuss the story of two sisters caring for their ailing mother, listeners can gain insight into the complexities of chronic illness, caregiving and the socioeconomic pressures that shape health outcomes.

This episode was made possible with the generous support of Ken Stevens. 

We talked with:

• Julia Phillips is the author of the bestselling novels Bear and Disappearing Earth, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year. A 2024 Guggenheim fellow, she lives with her family in Brooklyn
• Ana Zamora Martinez, M.D., is the Medical Director of the Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Clinic at the Mayo Clinic Arizona, where she treats patients with, among other conditions, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, familiar pulmonary fibrosis, short telomere biology, collagen vascular disease associated ILD, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and diffuse cystic lung diseases. She is the co-director of the autoimmune ILD Clinic, where she collaborates with rheumatologists to diagnose and manage patients with this condition in real time.

Purchase “Bear.”

• From Barnes & Noble.
• From Bookshop.org.

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