Symptomatic: A Medical Mystery Podcast

Len Geiger was a perfectly healthy, athletic young man with no signs of illness…but when Len enters his late twenties he starts falling ill with chronic chest infections. By age thirty - Len begins to experience breathlessness so debilitating he can barely walk across a parking lot. 10 years after the onset of symptoms, Len is dying from lungs that can no longer function due to a disease often overlooked in testing. 

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at [email protected].

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ******

You can learn more about Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency through the Alpha-1 Foundation at https://alpha1.org/ or alphaid.com where you can request a free Alpha-1 test kit.

If you want to learn more about life saving organ donations you can go to Donate Life America at https://donatelife.net/ or OrganDonor.gov.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendon Paradis began to lose his vision out of nowhere. Doctors spend decades trying to stop the unexplained hemorrhaging in his retina with no success. Brendon has attempted to come to terms with his fate but when his son Keegan begins to show a more rapidly advancing version of this mystery condition, they reignite the search in a race against the clock to save Keegan’s vision.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at [email protected].

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ******

You can learn more about ROSAH and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at https://www.niaid.nih.gov/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All new episodes full of medical mysteries are coming soon. Join host Lauren Bright Pacheco as we explore new stories in which patients become investigators, survivors become advocates, and exceptional doctors become heroes. Tune in for season 5 of Symptomatic, starting on September 22nd. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah Marshall knew from only a few months into her fourth daughter Phoebe's life that something was definitely wrong. By the time Phoebe was six, Sarah began to fear for her daughter's life. She underwent countless tests, dozens of surgeries, and was in and out of the hospital for years. Phoebe’s health was declining and no one could tell their family what was wrong. Desperate for answers and unwilling to give up on her daughter, Sarah contacted the Undiagnosed Diseases Network - a decision that would change their lives forever.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at [email protected] or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ******

You can find more information about the Undiagnosed Diseases Network Foundation at https://udnf.org/.

You can learn more about the Model Organisms Screening Centers (MOSC) and Dr. Hugo Bellen’s work at https://flypush.research.bcm.edu/lab/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michelle Shapiro had built a career helping others get healthy when she was hit with a debilitating health crisis. Doctors were unable to identify the cause of her symptoms - no matter how hard Michelle pushed for answers. So unwell that she could barely function - Michelle made it her mission to get to the bottom of what was going on only to find that the condition she was experiencing is still being understood by the medical community. 

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at [email protected] or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ******

You can follow Michelle on social media @michelleshapirord and on her website michelleshapirord.com. You can take the Highly Sensitive Body quiz here: https://michelleshapirord.com/hsb-quiz

Dr. Tania Dempsey can be found on instagram @drtaniadempseymd and online at drtaniadempsey.com. Her podcast is called Mast Cell Matters.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What began as intermittent rashes that popped up years apart turned into excruciating, long term flare ups with no reprieve for Kristen Willard. Unable to sleep, shower, or even put on pants - Kristen’s quality of life plummeted. With no common trigger to explain the debilitating flares, she was forced to endure for months on end without relief. After decades and at the end of her rope, Kristen seeks answers one last time. 

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at [email protected] or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic . 

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ******

You can learn more about Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria at chronic-urticaria.org and you can find the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform at gaapp.org.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rockstar Casey McPherson and his family were shocked to the core when his daughter Rose was diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation that has no known treatment. Faced with the possibility of losing his daughter, the front man of the Flying Colours dropped everything to devote his life to trying to find a cure before time runs out.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at [email protected] or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic. 

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ******

You can learn more about AlphaRose at https://www.alpharose.com/, To Cure A Rose Foundation at www.tocurearose.org and TCAR RareLabs at https://www.tcarrarelabs.org/.

You can follow Casey @casey.mcpherson on instagram. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For as long as Cienna Ditri can remember, she has had random bouts of “heavy legs”and loss of vision. As she got older - that sensation grew into episodes in which she could not move altogether. Cienna was passing out multiple times a day and frequently losing vision. After a slew of misdiagnoses - she was unsure she would ever understand the cause…until one doctor found the needle in the haystack.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at [email protected] or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic. 

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ******

You can learn more about Periodic Paralysis at periodicparalysis.org

You can follow Cienna at @chronicallyperservering on instagram, tiktok, facebook, and youtube.

You can find Cienna’s substack “In Rare Form” at chronicallypersevering.substack.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ian Stedman suffered 32 years with full body rashes, debilitating headaches, joint pain and hearing loss without a clear diagnosis. His Mother Barb had gone over 60 years with the same symptoms. After hundreds of doctors visits and decades of frustration - they had resigned to believe there were no answers. That is until Ian’s daughter, Lia was born covered in that all-too-recognizable rash. Ian re-ignited his search for answers in an effort to save his family. 

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at [email protected] or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic. 

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ******

You can learn more about the Canadian Autoinflammatory Network at www.autoinflammatory.ca

SickKids CA can be found online at www.sickkids.ca

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the moment Hailey got her period, she could tell that something was different about her. Suffering debilitating menstrual cramps and a flow so heavy she would pass out from blood loss…Hailey spent half of every month fighting to stand up. When she joined the Air Force as a medic, Hailey did not predict how agonizing her symptoms would become… and how harrowing her journey to a diagnosis would be as a woman in a male dominated field. 

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at [email protected] or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic. 

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

* 

* 

* 

* 

* 

*

****** SPOILER ALERT BELOW ******

You can find Hailey on tik tok @Hailey_griffith

You can follow Dr. Lucky Sekhon @lucky.sekhon and look out for her new book, “The Lucky Egg”, releasing on January 13th, 2026.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.