Episode 78- David Fajgenbaum on What I Learned About Living from Nearly Dying

Imagine facing a life-threatening disease with no known cure. Now imagine that you are a physician- and the person facing the disease is you. That’s…

Episode 78- David Fajgenbaum on What I Learned About Living from Nearly Dying

Imagine facing a life-threatening disease with no known cure. Now imagine that you are a physician- and the person facing the disease is you. That’s…

Imagine facing a life-threatening disease with no known cure. Now imagine that you are a physician- and the person facing the disease is you. That’s the story David Fajgenbaum tells in his memoir, Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race To Turn Hope Into Action. David battles Castleman disease, a rare disease involving the immune system attacking and shutting down vital organs. Faced with lengthy hospitalizations and multiple near-death relapses, David realized that the best person to find a cure might be himself. In our conversation, David shares what it means to turn hope into action and why sometimes you have to create your own silver linings.

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“We shouldn’t just look for silver linings; we should create silver linings.”

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Show Notes

How his mom’s battle with brain cancer inspired him to study to become a physician (1:48)
The realization that something wasn’t right (2:49)
David’s first near-death experience and searching for a diagnosis (4:30)
What is Castleman Disease? (5:20)
The unexpected gift of humor in tough times (6:55)
How his perspective shifted going from physician to patient (9:40)
His guiding principle: “Think it. Do it.” (11:46)
We are all living life in overtime (14:42)
What’s given him strength to get through five relapses (17:54)
The search to find his own cure (21:11)
How his understanding of love changed through his relationship with his now-wife Caitlin (25:46)
The power in creating your own silver linings (29:07)
Fear can paralyze; it can also focus. (32:30)
How we should think differently about innovation (35:30)
What David has learned about living from nearly dying (38:19)

Resources / People Mentioned

Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope into Action by David Fajgenbaum
Castleman Disease
The Castleman Disease Collaborative Network
Georgetown University Football
Perleman School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania
Actively Moving Forward (AMF)
Grit by Angela Duckworth

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