“Horrible things happen in life, but you don't let them define you, and you figure out how to keep going.” That's one of the lessons actor Timothy Omundson learned after his recovery from a massive stroke more than five years ago at age 47.
Omundson, who played a stroke survivor on the NBC series This Is Us, shared this and other insights on an episode of the Brain & Life podcast. His interview was followed by a conversation with stroke expert Sarah Song, MD, MPH, FAAN, associate professor of neurology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, about stroke signs, treatment, rehabilitation, and how survivors manage limitations and stigma.
“There are hundreds of neurologic conditions and so many concepts in brain health that everyone needs to understand better, even neurologists,” says Daniel José Correa, MD, MSc, FAAN, assistant professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, who co-hosts the podcast with Audrey Nath, MD, PhD, a pediatric neurologist and neurophysiologist in Houston.
A typical episode in the series, which launched in March 2022 and features a new episode every Thursday, includes an interview with someone who has a neurologic condition and a discussion with an expert on that disease. Some episodes feature a particular brain-related topic, such as mental techniques for preparing for a performance, which was the subject on an episode that also included an interview with two members of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.
“We really need to listen to people's stories,” says Dr. Nath. Today's time pressures often make it hard for patients to feel truly heard, but the podcast puts patients at the center of the story. “I'm hoping that people will get educated and advocate for themselves,” Dr. Nath says.
Advocacy is a recurring theme, with guests such as actor Marilu Henner, who has an extraordinary memory; musician Peter Frampton, who has inclusion body myositis (IBM); and Josh Blue, a comedian with cerebral palsy.
Blue described how he uses comedy to educate. “I'm spreading the word about cerebral palsy to as many people as possible. It's easier for us if we can just get a fair shake in this world.”
In an episode with Dr. Correa, Henner—who is best known for her work in the sitcoms Taxi and Evening Shade—talked about her highly superior autobiographical memory, a trait that allows her to remember any day in her life in vivid detail. Asked what she was doing on April 25, 2010, she said she was watching her son rehearse for an eighth-grade production of Damn Yankees. Henner considers her memory a gift that enriches her life. On that same episode, Craig Stark, PhD, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, discussed simple exercises people can do to improve their memory.
Frampton explained his positive attitude about living with IBM, a progressive neuromuscular condition that tends to affect the legs first. “Peter has radical acceptance—he's got this condition and is always thinking about his next steps,” Dr. Nath says, adding that there isn't a great treatment available for the condition. Frampton works out with trainers six times a week and has started his second clinical trial, after the treatment in the first one was ineffective. He also supports others with the disease and has started a foundation to raise money for research. Music is a welcome distraction. “When I'm performing, I'm in a different zone and can forget about this huge condition,” says Frampton.
“Peter is giving voice to a rare disorder,” says Dr. Nath, who also spoke on the podcast with Steven M. Greenberg, MD, PhD, FAAN, a neuromuscular neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, about how IBM is diagnosed.
Since the podcast launched it has had thousands of weekly downloads and the hosts have covered 21 neurologic conditions and interviewed more than 30 experts—and listeners are responding. John Pugliese of San Jose, CA, who had a stroke when he was 27, says the episode with Omundson resonated with him. “He really hit it on the head when he said we aren't defined by the things that happen to us,” says Pugliese, who lost movement in his left arm and damaged his left leg. After months of rehabilitation, he progressed to a wheelchair, then walking, and eventually was able to bike. Today, in his fifties, he's a long-distance cyclist. “I can't run anymore, but I can bicycle 200 miles,” he says. He recognized a similar drive in Omundson. “Tim talked about walking nearly two miles on the five-year anniversary of being told he would never walk again,” says Pugliese. “He had the goal to never give up.”
Another listener responded to an episode with artist Lindsey Holcomb, who has multiple sclerosis and makes paintings of MRI scans. “[The interview] gave me some ideas,” the listener says in a voice mail message. “I've never seen an image of my brain, and as an artist I thought I could paint that.”
Not everyone with a neurologic condition has a positive story, and the podcast reflects that. “We don't just focus on people who have overcome and excelled,” says Dr. Correa. “We also highlight challenges, including mental health issues and stigma.” For conditions like MS, migraine, and epilepsy, there are many new treatments, says Dr. Nath. “But for others, there are not. Some families are dealing with things that have no happy ending. But these families still need a doctor, and they can find meaning in their lives. People assume positivity is the best thing. But an honest reaction, even a negative one, from a person living with a condition, a family member, or a caregiver can be a gift.”
As the first season wraps, Dr. Correa and Dr. Nath are exploring new directions, including more stories about the wonders of the brain, multiple episodes devoted to one theme, and diversity. “We want to bring in many cultures and unique perspectives, through both our guests and our experts,” says Dr. Nath.
About the Hosts
Daniel José Correa, MD, MSc, FAAN, always knew he wanted to be a doctor. In grade school, he told his parents, who are from Puerto Rico, that he wanted to study medicine. True to his word, he went to medical school on a military scholarship, then trained as a neurologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland and served in the US Army Medical Corps. Now an assistant professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, Dr. Correa is involved in diversity leadership and dedicated to bringing accessible neurology care to underserved communities.
Audrey Nath, MD, PhD, a pediatric neurologist and neurophysiologist in Houston, says music was her first passion. She grew up in a multicultural household—her mother is from Hong Kong and her dad is from India—and attended Rice University, where she studied composition, performed piano concertos by Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, and ran the electronics show on the radio station. After college, she earned her medical and doctoral degrees at the University of Texas at Houston and did her residency at Boston Children's Hospital. In a nod to her first career, Dr. Nath also researches how music is perceived in the brain.
