S7 • E10 Jul 4, 2025
When she was a child, Shaina had dreams of becoming a stand-up comic as an adult. But she had to put those dreams on hold when she was diagnosed with Gaucher disease, a rare genetic disorder that can cause bone pain, enlarged organs, and bleeding problems, according to the Cleveland Clinic. At her home in Miami, Florida, the 34-year-old mother of two explains how despite her condition, she's managed to channel her pain into an opportunity to make people laugh. Meanwhile, in Sanford, Florida, Kat was experiencing strange symptoms like hair loss and bloating. At first, she figured that it was due to the stress of her job as a professional soccer coach and scout. So it came as a shock when she learned she had ovarian cancer. Even worse, doctors only gave her up to five years to live. However, Kat had a unique type of cancer that was folate receptor alpha-positive (FRa-positive), meaning she had other types of treatments available to her. And in terms of support, she was lucky to have her wife, Kimberly, who acted as her rock through the entire ordeal. "Pillars of Strength" also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Neal J. Weinreb, MD, Voluntary Associate Professor of Human Genetics, University of Miami, and Nathalie Dauphin McKenzie, MD, Gynecologic Oncologist, AdventHealth Cancer Institute.
