Rare Care Podcast

Larry Luxner, senior correspondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews Jennifer MacDonald—who has alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency— about the difficulties of being a rare disease patient in Mexico.

Larry Luxner, senior correspondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews Mindy Henderson, an SMA patient who is editor-in-chief of Quest, the quarterly magazine of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Larry Luxner, senior correspondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews Christopher Curran, who along with his wife, Jessica, founded Kindness Over Muscular Dystrophy to advocate for patients like their 12-year-old son, Conner, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Larry Luxner, senior correspondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews Leah Zelaya, a 2023 national ambassador of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The 15-year-old aspiring actress from Brooklyn, New York, has an ultra-rare form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) known as scapulopereneal SMA.

Larry Luxner, senior correspondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews Luisa Leal, founder and CEO of The Akari Foundation, a Texas-based nonprofit that advocates on behalf of Spanish-speaking families affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Larry Luxner, senior correspondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews pediatric neurologist Julie Parsons, MD, of Children's Hospital Colorado in Denver. An expert on both muscular atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Dr. Parsons discusses how the nation's healthcare system must prepare for an avalanche of Duchenne patients if and when Sarepta's gene therapy wins final approval in May 2023.

Larry Luxner, senior correspondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews Christopher Rosa, PhD, president and CEO of the Viscardi Group. Dr. Rosa, who has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, is a longtime advocate for the disabled community. His chief mission now is pushing legislation that will require U.S. airlines to let disabled passengers remain in their wheelchairs during flight.

Larry Luxner, senior correspondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews Matt Granato, president and CEO of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, on World PH Day 2023—which takes place May 5—and the urgency of creating awareness about PAH, a frequently misdiagnosed and potentially fatal disease.

Larry Luxner, senior corespondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews Ron Bartek, founding president of the Freidriech's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA), about the hope generated by the recent FDA approval of Reata's omaveloxolone (Skyclarys)—the first-ever therapy to treat this rare neuromuscular disease.

Larry Luxner, senior correspondent for Rare Disease Advisor, interviews Miranda Bradnick, the mother of 3 children with Alagille syndrome. Among her biggest concerns: how COVID-19 has changed the lives of her family and others affected by rare disease, 3 years after the World Health Organization declared a pandemic.