Just a few years ago, Peter Risafi, now on the cusp of his 66th birthday, wasn’t sure he’d live as he battled a rare cancer-like blood disorder, amyloidosis, which had targeted his heart.

But a chance encounter last year with the creative mastermind behind the CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, landed Risafi a rare opportunity to direct a Shakespeare comedy at one of the Hudson Valley’s preeminent community theaters.

Risafi walks listeners through his challenges as a chubby gay teen, stem cell transplants and cancer, and his newfound joy working with local actors.

This podcast is a joint production of The Daily Catch and Radio Free Rhinecliff.