[00:00:00]
Sick of the fatigue and fog? Fed up with the unpredictable flares? Hangry from the super restrictive diets?
Hello and welcome to the Crunchy Allergist Podcast.
A podcast empowering those who, like me, appreciate both a naturally minded and scientifically grounded approach to health and healing.
Hi, I'm your host, Dr. Kara Wada. Quadruple Board Certified Pediatric and adult allergy immunology and lifestyle medicine physician, Sjogren's patient, and life coach.
My recipe for success combines anti-inflammatory lifestyle, trusting therapeutic relationships, modern medicine, and mindset to harness our body's ability to heal.
Now, although I might be a physician, I'm not your physician and this podcast is for educational purposes only.
Kara Wada, MD: Welcome back everyone to this week's episode of the Crunchy Allergist Podcast.
My name is Dr. Kara Wada.
I'm a board certified allergist immunologist lifestyle medicine [00:01:00] doc and systemic Sjogren's patient.
And on this podcast we talk about all things, allergies, autoimmunity, anti-inflammatory living, and we've really been having a focus this last week or two on the role of physician and patient communication, and I thought there was no better guest to have on than a person that I am so grateful came into my universe.
Whitney Lane Ward is joining us today. She is a public speaker and an author who seeks to encourage her audience to overcome their circumstances.
And as someone who has a disability, she wishes to give hope to others with illnesses.
Hope so that they will persevere and scale the mountains they face.
And I'm so excited for y'all to meet Whitney today and. Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule. I know a lot's going on to talk [00:02:00] with us today.
Whitney Lane Ward: Thank you for having me. I am so excited to be here.
And as a extra bonus, who would've thought that I could say? I'm actually on my Immunologist's podcast.
So yes, Dr. Wada is my doctor. I love her. She's amazing, and I'm so thrilled to be on her podcast to chat with her.
Kara Wada, MD: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And as we were chatting before, I'm like, you can say that. I can't say that.
Whitney Lane Ward: Yes. I told her I would sign her a release form, whatever I need to do to make above board .
Kara Wada, MD: As we talked before to whatever level you feel comfortable, if you wouldn't mind kinda sharing a bit of kind of your story and how you've ended up in this really inspiring place you are now.
Whitney Lane Ward: I will try to make it very...
I am 34 and it's just, it's been a long winding road.
But so when I was born, I [00:03:00] had dislocated hips and club feet, and that was a little unusual because my mom had me via C-section and my dad likes to say, just looks like you need to go back in and cook for a little while because I was full term, but I looked like a preemie.
And of course, We didn't know what was going on, but later we'd find out it's all, puzzle pieces, like to the big picture. So growing up from like infancy to five years old, I had tons of, ear infections and sinus infections, pneumonia, asthma, all that fun stuff.
And my doctor pediatrician just chalked it up to there's some kids who it just takes a bit for their immunity to build up and Whitney seems to be one of those kids once she continues to grow up and out of it, she should be okay.
That did not happen.
When I was six years old. One morning I woke [00:04:00] up with excruciating pain in my knees. I couldn't walk.
It was hot to touch them, and I, like my parents worked with me two hours trying to bend my knees. It was awful.
Finally I could, I walked with the limp and then the next day I spiked a fever of a hundred and five
And so yes, I was very sick, so I went to my local ER who back then the hospital really wasn't conducive to having pediatric patients.
But thank the good lord there was a pediatric fellow there.
And so she saw me and she got me to Cincinnati Children's. They thought it was an orthopedic problem.
But when orthopedics saw me, they're like, Oh no, this is rheumatology. You need to go to rheumatology.
So we did, but all the rheumatologists were gone that day for a [00:05:00] medical conference except one, and he came in and he looked at my mom and he said, I was not supposed to be here.
I was supposed to be at that conference as well, and my mom was like, You were supposed to be here. A higher power orchestrated this and you're here for my daughter. I have no doubt. Yeah. He was amazing. He was like the first doctor that just, tried to piece it all together.
So I actually ended up having septic arthritis.
That's what was causing the severe pain. And of course they did, blood work and they found what wasn't supposed to be high was high. What wasn't supposed to be low was low.
And another interesting fact was, my spleen. Your spleen sits, up in your left ribcage.
My spleen came out, went down to my hip bone and over to my belly button. Oh yeah. It was crazy. And , What was [00:06:00] hilarious is when I was in the hospital, there were like attendings, residents, fellows lined up and they would come in and they would be, can we feel your spleen? We're told we will probably never feel a spleen this big ever again.
I'm like, sure, come on in.
This six year old little Whitney and not surrounded by doctors except for a pediatrician, and then all of a sudden, Boom.
Like all these doctors, going from one specialty to the next, because they're like, Does she have lupus? Does she have ms? Does she have leukemia?
And everything came back, fine.
Which was good news, but it was also hard because you want answers, yeah.
With the plan and say, Okay, this is what it is. Now we know how to move forward. But I did not have that.
And so I was diagnosed very broadly with autoimmune hemolytic anemia coupled with combined immune deficiencies, which [00:07:00] basically meant, we don't know, we don't know what's wrong with you.
And yeah, it was insane.
So I went from Cincinnati to Duke University and then landed at Nationwide Children's.
And I started with my hematologist, who's been amazing.
And he's been my hematologist for 23 years.
And what I loved about him is he understood, cause not all my doctors understood this at Cincinnati. He understood that it takes a team to doctor someone as complex and complicated as I am.
And so when he could he got me in with rheumatology at nationwide at that time, and I'm sure you can elaborate this on this more, but that time there were a lot of clinical immunologists.
There were more lab, Yeah.
And so I needed one, but I couldn't find a clinical one. [00:08:00] And so it took about three or four years at Nationwide without one.
And then finally, Dr. Chesky and he doesn't care. I say his name.
He's in he's in some of my books, so he doesn't care.
He's a great teacher. Yes. The ones that do care. I will not say their name. But Dr. doesn't care. So anyway, I and then Dr. Arwin doesn't care.
Kara Wada, MD: Oh my gosh.
Another person. I am so honored to call as one of my teachers too.
Whitney Lane Ward: Yes. I love her. Love her.
But he told me like, we're finally getting an immunologist in a few months, and I want him to be on this team, and I already had my rheumatologist. Did you ever meet Dr. Higgins? Yeah. Gloria Higgins. Yes. She's my first rheumatologist when she retired, that's when I went to Dr. Arwin. Sure. Amazing too.
And [00:09:00] so was with them and I met. My immunologist a few months later, which he does care. You know him. He does care. The same. But he was your teacher too. Yeah, and he was. He was amazing. The three of them just, they knew, everything's connected when it seems like it's not. It is.
And so we all have to. Together. So they did, and they were working blindly. They had no clue what was going on with me. But they did everything exactly right. I was on I V I G then I went on Rituxan and all these things were exactly what my body needed, and I could finally go off prednisone.
As is like a double edged sword. Yeah. That's why I had to get a knee replacement at 19. It ate away all my cartilage and caused a vascular necrosis in my right knee. But, so that [00:10:00] was amazing. And yeah, over the years they just worked together well, They knew what my body needed and they just, their guts and their instincts were spot on and it was trial and error.
But they kept trying and I was with doctors before they would just get frustrated and we don't know, so we're just gonna stop. And obviously you can't do that.
One of my doctors left me unmonitored on steroids for nine months without checking in or anything. So it's I know I am very complicated and confusing.
But you gotta keep checking it Ah, yeah.
anyway yeah, that was rough. But once I got my right team, it was amazing.
They took great care of me. They wanted to make sure that despite my disease, I had a quality of life and I could live when I wasn't having a flare.
And that was the goal. [00:11:00] But I think I was maybe around 20, 21, 22.
And I went to my appointment with we'll call him Dr. M.
I went with my appointment to him and get ready to close out the appointment and he says, Hey, I just want you to know that I sent your case to the National Institutes of Health.
There's a disease that was just discovered and published, and you have a lot of similarities to it and that was Doc eight.
Yeah. And yeah. And so I went there finally after they called and they were like, you have to fit our protocol and you have to do all these research, blood tests and do you know this, and this. And it was a huge process before they even decided that I was gonna be their patient.
When the nurse called me and told me, Whitney, [00:12:00] we probably will never figure out what's wrong with you.
You'll just be valuable research to us. I understood why she said that because I'm sure a lot of patients that she's seen has gotten their hopes up.
You hear to the National Institutes of Health and you think, wow. I get to go there, that kind of thing. Yeah.
And I'm sure they've seen a lot of patients who got their hopes up and it's very hard to watch that.
And so I understand why she said it, but I just had this feeling that I was about to embark on a really amazing journey.
And I was right. So did not have doc eight, but they're like, You know what? You're fascinating
Kara Wada, MD: and for those who aren't as immersed in the medical system, sometimes the joke when you are in medical training or on the patient side of things is like, You don't know if you have, if you really wanna be known as interesting it's this double edged sword, right?
Like Yeah, exactly. People stay curious about [00:13:00] what's going on with you, but it also means that there's something that's pretty wrong too.
Whitney Lane Ward: Yeah. I think I need to start carrying a jar and having my doctors put a quarter in it every time they say, "You're not textbook Whitney."
Pay up
I've heard that so many times.
Like I know. I know. And then when I know I'm segueing here, but it's comical.
When I get an appointment and I'm thinking, Okay, this should be fast and I can leave. I'm two hours away. A fellow comes in and says, Oh, Dr. Arwin just said that I needed to see you and Cause I would learn so much.
And I'm like, Okay. Paid my dues. I know, but I, they need to learn. It's just comical sometimes.
But anyway they, the National Institutes of Health my team, they said, interest. So we're gonna create a protocol for you and we're gonna [00:14:00] keep researching and trying to figure out what is causing your autoimmune and immune
[Diseases]
So about three years later, I go to the NIH for my, follow up appointment. And there is this guy, and I didn't know who he was. He was talking to my doctor. And I'm thinking, Okay,
[ ]
like, is he here to shadow her or what's going on?
Cause he looked super young. Annie was in jeans, flannel and like work boots.
And I was like, Who is this dude?
Kara Wada, MD: Is he fixing the hvac? What's going on? ?
Whitney Lane Ward: Exactly. It was, I was confused.
Is he a patient? So many thoughts were coming to my mind.
The thing that he actually was never came to my mind. They bring him in and they say, "Whitney, [00:15:00] we would like to introduce you to Ian Lamborne."
I can say his name. He wrote the forward for one of my books, so it's good.
And he is a medical student getting his MD and PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. And he came here to work on his dissertation.
We gave him your case, and he discovered that your disease is caused by a rare gene mutation and him like he did that. Whoa. So yeah, it was really like this, The skateboarder did this he looked like a skateboarder to me. But but no, I love Ian. He's so skinny.
Kara Wada, MD: I wonder if you two would've been about the same age then?
Whitney Lane Ward: No, he's much older. . Oh, ok. Yes. I think he's knocking on. Listen. No, he's about, yeah, he's closer to my age then.
Yeah. I'm 34. 40 is a [00:16:00] long way.
Kara Wada, MD: I'm 38, so I'm knocking on at door.
Whitney Lane Ward: Oh yeah. Yeah, so he's super cool and so easy and that, that, that, that's the cool thing too about the NIH, especially through the pandemic, they've gotten a lot of flack and, How the media perceives them is not really, what I've experienced, and they're so warm and friendly, and I've never met any doctor who is more, more interested and cares more about the science than they do the patient.
And they tell me over and over, You don't have to do this, but if you sign it and then you decide, later on Oh. I don't want to, we'll stop, you know this, you call the shots here. And I really appreciated that because I did not know how it was going to be going Yeah. Into that environment.
And it's been an amazing experience. Gotta put a plug in [00:17:00] there for the . The,
Kara Wada, MD: No, and I think that's really important to bring up because that hasn't always been the case. Yeah. In medical research. It's really only been in the last, several decades that we have better protections Yeah.
To ensure that we uphold the, your autonomy and your respect, you and your Yeah. And make sure that you're not coerced and that that you are fully informed about what's going on. , Yeah. With you and whatever specimen, blood or biopsies or whatever happens to that.
Because unfortunately that hasn't always been the case.
Whitney Lane Ward: And you're so right, because when I was younger, I think that's why some doctors got away with what they did with my care because those things were in place and yeah I totally agree with you there a hundred percent.
And I have seen improved where it's more about the [00:18:00] patient than the science. There's a balance and it, and that's good.
There always needs to be a balance. And yeah. So I've had an amazing experience and it was crazy because he told me, your diseases are caused by a rare gene mutation, or the first person in the world to be discovered with this disease.
And your case is going to be the subject of my dissertation. Oh my gosh. Yeah. I was, Oh my goodness. I couldn't believe it.
Yes. It was like crazy to be the first person in the world to be discovered with a gene mutation.
Cause they're like, What does that mean?
They don't know a lot about this. Obviously I'm the first person, but you. To get an answer, not everyone gets an answer. And that was such a blessing. And I really appreciated it. And, because they were so friendly and [00:19:00] so warm and this is your decision you're guiding this, it made me more willing to work with them and, if it was the other way around.
I probably would've ran the other way, ah. But they've been amazing. And for the longest time I was their only patient, so I developed a really special bond with them. And they kept searching. They went to medical conferences and seminars. Funny story. Ian was presenting my case at a medical, you might even know this story, a medical conference.
And Dr. M was in the audience and he was presenting it and afterwards, and they hadn't they hadn't met, they just have e emailed it. That's all they knew of him. Yeah. And so after he is done presenting and the conference is over, Dr. M goes to Ian and he says, He happened to be talking about Whitney Ward, would you?
[00:20:00] And he's What? Yeah. And yeah, he was like, I'm doctor, and they're like, Bon, Yeah. Oh my goodness. They finally could put, faces to these emails and anyway, it's funny, but when you have a doctor that knows you so well that they can. They're talking about my patient. That's, that's amazing.
That makes you feel good, It makes you feel like they're taken care of. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And they did, They searched for I think a year and a half, and they came back and, they told me, usually when we find the first patient, Other patients just come outta the woodwork because, we're presenting, to seminars, conferences, and consulting doctors.
And that's just usually how it works. But we haven't been able to find anyone with your gene mutation. So what we're surmising is that most babies are either stillborn or miscarried. And we know now that your gene mutation [00:21:00] was. Mutated in your mother's bloom at some point. So that's why they couldn't find anyone.
And oh my goodness. Sitting, there and listening to that was hard to hear, and my mom my mom and dad were in the meeting with me and my mom looks at my main doctor. She says, So all babies are a miracle. , but you're telling me my baby's even more of a miracle. And she goes, Yes, it's a miracle she survived her pregnancy.
It's a miracle that she is still alive and it's a miracle she's doing as well as she's doing because this gene mutation is horrific. I just sat there, in awe that I was still alive and that, I must be here for, a reason. God put me on this earth for a purpose. And I truly believed it was, to tell others that they could, [00:22:00] scale the mountains that they face and they could climb and keep climbing until they get to the top.
That was even more confirmed a year later, and since I developed such a great relationship with my team, I was given two once in a lifetime opportunities. First of all, they asked me and my family to attend Ian's dissertation at the University of Penn and then they invited me to help them come up with a name.
And they knew I was creative writer and could think out outside the box.
And so they taught me the naming process in the medical world, how it's an acronym, it's a real name or real word, but it's an acronym.
And each letter symbolizes a symptom of the. And so Ian is the one who taught me this, and he's [00:23:00] Listen, they probably won't choose your name.
I just wanna, prepare you, we want your input and, guess what? They probably won't even choose my name.
And just wanted to put that out there. Don't get your hopes up.
So I actually kept it, it looks like I felt like I was playing Scrabble because I was Checking the internet.
I'm like, Okay what's inspirational works?
Because I didn't want it just to be scientific, I wanted hope to be attached to the name. And so I was looking and finally I found something. I'm like, Oh my goodness, this is it.
This is what it needs to be called and that was magis.
Magis means more in Latin, and it also references a phrase to the greater glory of God.
I thought that was perfect because everyone who survives Magis is a miracle and they are more, and they need to be reminded of that because we do have bad days.
But if they can just be reminded that there is hope. Bad days won't last forever. Just keep [00:24:00] climbing. Take care of your body.
Don't feel like you're a failure if you have to take a week off to rest.
But remember just keep going when you can.
And I submitted that and was like, Okay, this is what I want, but I don't know if they will do it. So I went to Ian's dissertation and my parents, my sister were with me, of course, he talked in medical jargon, so a lot of it went over my head, but I'm still like, That's me.
That's me.
I don't know what he is saying, but if he's talking about me and he gets to the end where he wants to, thank everyone who got him to that day or that day he was speaking for his dissertation.
And he said, I wanna thank one person in particular, and she's a big reason why I'm here today.
And, if she didn't understand, that it's not only gonna help her, but [00:25:00] help other patients who would be diagnosed with this disease and, all the stuff she put herself through for this. I wouldn't be here right now.
Then he he bent down behind the podium and he proceeded to bring me a bouquet of flowers.
Oh. And hugged me. And it was such a special moment.
And that would've been, that would've been perfect. But there wasn't a cherry on top.
And after he gave that to me, he said, And we've decided to name this new disease Magis syndrome.
Yes. Oh my goodness. It was so amazing. I was elbowing my mom and sister.
I'm like, they chose my name, they chose my name.
And I, in that moment, I just got closure. I didn't know I needed it, but I did.
I got closure. I knew what was causing everything, but I also knew in that moment it confirmed that, I am here to [00:26:00] encourage people and remind them that they have a purpose and they just need to keep climbing and keep trucking along.
And yeah, so that, that is how I got here . It's long rollercoaster of a journey, but but yeah, it was definitely a special journey.
Kara Wada, MD: And something I've been trying to do over the last several and this grouping of episodes is focus on the interactions between patients and their healthcare teams and and you brought up so many elements that are what I talk about and use you as an awesome example in my TED Talk, which you were so gracious enough to let me, use your story.
Whitney Lane Ward: That was amazing
Kara Wada, MD: I think. But this idea that, part of that communication between someone who is called to try to help people heal and the person who's suffering, so patient, physician, or however you know, however that looks.
Yeah. It's communication between two humans and [00:27:00] it's that human connection that has its own therapeutic benefit too.
But when we're able to come to that and you're able to come to that from a place of standing in your own power and empowerment. That is so powerful.
We also need, and I talked about in my medical gaslighting episode, that we need healers that are coming to that space with curiosity and empathy and a listening ear and validation.
Yeah. And it's when those two come together that whew. Yes. It's powerful stuff.
Whitney Lane Ward: For sure. I it's one instance that I think about when you're talking about that, and this is for the the kids that might listen to this with their parents.
You have a voice, you know your body and you know when something's not right and you might not be able to articulate it well but when you get a [00:28:00] doctor who listens and talks to you and gets what they down to the nitty gritty of what you're trying to say, then that is an amazing doctor.
I remember I'm very short as Dr. Wada.
I'm four nine and my mom's four eight. She was four 10, but she shrunk of course, as older happens as.
Anyway, she's four eight now.
But I knew okay she got there naturally.
I was, 10 year old wearing six X's, little girls like something is not right.
And all of my doctors that I talk to, eh, you're just short cuz of your mom and it's, no, you're not listening to me. I know something isn't right.
In little girl fashion, how I, said it. It was so frustrating.
Then, my medical team switched from Cincinnati [00:29:00] to Nationwide and I saw Dr. Chesky and I was able to tell him and he said, I hear your concerns and it's not gonna hurt for us to get you a consult with endocrinology just to make sure nothing was going on.
So we and sure enough, I was low on growth hormone, had to start growth hormone shots.
If I did not start those shots, my projected height would've been three foot seven. And so he listened to me, even though I was, a kid.
He didn't just chalk it up to Oh, you're short cuz your mom, just get over your concern.
That kind of thing. And and it is, it feels like gas lighting when there's eh, just this is what it is.
End of it, end of discussion, and then, but you feel so good. [I was]
Right. I knew my body. I kept fighting for it. And, it turned out how it needed to turn out.
And not only for that because I not only needed it for growth, [00:30:00] I needed it for my bones. My, my mental. Yeah. Capacity it helps with all of that. And I wasn't getting all of what growth hormone does. You did a little extra. Exactly. People don't think about the, they just think heights.
They don't think of the other stuff that I was not getting, So when he listened to me, Okay, this doctor's gonna take care of me.
He listened to me and he did what I asked him to.
And yes, kids, if you're listening and you feel something is not right, even though you're a kid, your voice matters and you know your body.
So keep talking even if you don't feel like you're getting the point across.
Kara Wada, MD: Yeah, that's I think for so many of us, our experiences along, along our lifespan, through childhood and teens and everything.
We as a society are in so many ways that, we, many of us were brought [00:31:00] up and we learn to ignore what our body's saying as we get older.
Whitney Lane Ward: Yeah. Yeah.
Kara Wada, MD: And I feel at least personally, like I am just now starting to listen out better.
For those clues our body tells us of, Oh, I'm in like more of my fight or flight mode. Oh, I am feeling more relaxed, or, Oh, maybe I should listen to this or that, or,
Whitney Lane Ward: Yeah. Yeah. I've all, I've also found that adults who start with their disease as a child and grow up with it, it's harder on them because they've lived this healthy life and then boom and it, Wow. Okay, do I push or do I, take a step back and say, Okay, what can I and can't do? And I found that to be true.
I had a mentor who she was completely healthy and then she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease [00:32:00] and it just knocked her off her feet.
And so she had to learn, how do I listen to my body? What do I need to give up so I don't have a flare.
So I don't keep my Crohn's going and so yeah it's tough.
Definitely. In that aspect, which I know.
Kara Wada, MD: We all have different journeys though, right? And different takes different amounts of time to come to those different realizations and it's all a journey.
Whitney Lane Ward: It is. And to the parents out there who have children with special needs and chronic illnesses, one thing I just wanna tell you is, it's no accent that you're, their parents, God knew that you could handle it and you could give them the compassion and empathy that they needed, even on the days that you feel like, Okay, I'm failing this kid.
You are not, you're not. They're, you're, they have the parents they exactly need, just like I had the parents I exactly needed. So don't be hard on [00:33:00] yourself. Just remember you're human and you're doing a good job.
[Mic bleed]
Kara Wada, MD: That self-compassion piece is huge.
Whitney Lane Ward: Yeah, it is. It is for sure. Yep.
Kara Wada, MD: Especially in parenting. I know I had a few moments the last couple weeks, where maybe I wasn't feeling good or tired or stressed out or whatever, that you're not your best, your best parent and lose your cool with I lost my cool with my oldest who she tends to challenge me a little bit more.
She feels her emotions very deeply. And sometimes that is inconvenient . Yeah. But you can, always come back, we're human and I came back to her, after we had cooled down and said, Hey, can we have a doover, Mommy, Sorry. I'm human. I lost my patience and yeah, and that's totally okay.
Whitney Lane Ward: Yeah, it is. My parents came to me many times and, apologize.
I got that wrong. I'm sorry. I have to do better too. It's not just, you're not the only one that's learning here.
We're [00:34:00] learning too, and I handled that wrong. I'm sorry.
And sometimes there's a mentality that parents shouldn't apologize.
They might lose this authority or figure or whatever, but I totally disagree with that. It helps the child move forward and not dwell on it. And it makes them realize, okay, I, it's okay if I make a mistake too because, if my parents who I look up to can make a mistake and then own up to it, then I can do that as well.
Kara Wada, MD: So maybe we need to extend that also and give that permission to our healthcare professionals.
Whitney Lane Ward: Oh yeah. I always
Kara Wada, MD: Just to say I could have handled this better
Whitney Lane Ward: or, Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
And I try to remember that they're human too. They're gonna have bad days.
And you don't know what they're going through.
You don't know their personal life. You don't know what happened behind the scenes. And sometimes it's hard, when tragedy [00:35:00] strikes or a stressful situation is happening and they have to see patients.
And they have to put a good face on. And sometimes that's hard and they might have a bad day.
I try to remember that. And, especially when I recommend doctors to other people, I'm like, Oh my goodness, I hope they're not having a bad day on this day. That I, that person goes to them. Cause I'm like, Oh, great, they're so nice. They're, they'll listen to you. Yeah. And so they come and.
Are you sure Where I saw the same doctor you recommended?
I just recommended rheumatology at Nationwide Children's to someone, and it was like just building up their department and they're so great. Like I love them. My doctor is like the chief there and you'll love it. And then they, went and I got to thinking I was.
[Mic bleed]
get? A [00:36:00] doctor's having a bad day or doesn't have a good bedside manner. And I built this, . Yeah. But thankfully they loved it. They loved it. They're fantastic. So
Kara Wada, MD: Yeah, I think, that's where. Some of the work I've been trying to do on the medical side is reaching my colleagues.
Yeah. And medical, medical students, residents, fellows, and using these new tools that you know of like from coaching and from self-compassion work and yeah, doing some work.
I'm gonna try to sign up to do some more training on just learning about the role of being not only trauma informed, but trauma responsive.
How we can teach and bring all of that into our offices, hopefully more often.
Yeah. And it's hard because the, as you and I very well known, the system is totally broken.
We're all functioning within it. It's very siloed and [00:37:00] Yeah. Expensive and all the things. Yeah.
But we can do the best we can do with what we have and work on moving those mountain. Climb in those mountains.
Whitney Lane Ward: Exactly. It can be steep sometimes, but you got it
Kara Wada, MD: And you have taken, your circumstances and really now share them and inspire others and several different ways. Can you share with folks how they can....
Whitney Lane Ward: Yeah. Yeah I am a public speaker and I've spoken at women's retreats, churches, youth groups.
I spoke at chapel at my school.
That was really cool to get to do that. And I even spoke at a Rotary Club , which was like I didn't know what it was, so I don't know if other people don't, but it's like where all the businesses in the area like come together and network and every once in a while they have a special speaker.
And [00:38:00] so they had me come and speak and that was so cool. That was a cool opportunity.
But I've spoken at schools.
Really, I love it because I take into consideration who my audience is and I'm like, How can I adapt my story to help this audience?
And it's just so cool how I've changed it for each venue and how I'm like, Oh my goodness, I never thought of this angle.
Or that kind of thing.
And so yes, I love to speak to people, to encourage them, tell them, you got this, you can make it at the top of your mountain.
And I've actually written a few books and which is so amazing cause it's been a long journey.
Some people think that it's a very easy journey to get a book published.
It's not. No. No, not at all. No. I joke with my NIH research team listen my [00:39:00] world of getting stuff published is like the scientific world of you guys. Wow.
Trying to get your research, published. It takes a long time.
But it all worked out, timing's everything.
And last year I published my first children's picture book, and it's for kids who have chronic illnesses, special needs.
I just really saw that the book industry is really lacking in books for people with chronic illnesses, even though there's millions of people who have chronic illnesses.
And I remember I was at a book or a writing conference and I was told there's not really a genre for people with chronic illnesses.
And I'm like, I will create one.
Listen, this is ridiculous. Yes. People with, cancer, autism, all that they need the books that..
Cause that's what I was finding, most of that. Yeah. But but there was really no books.
Talked about [00:40:00] MRIs, cat scans, needles, hair loss.
Kids saying mean things because you have deformities and it's like there needs to be something out there where the kids can look at that and see themselves and believe, Oh that's cool.
I see me in that book so I can do what that persons doing.
And so I wrote it's called More Than Your Mountain.
And it's a rhyming book. I love Dr. Sues.
So anyway, I love to rhyme, but it's a rhyming book and actually, wait, this is a podcast ? I started.
Kara Wada, MD: Oh, we're gonna put this up on YouTube
Whitney Lane Ward: too. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Great. Yeah, I started to, we can see each other, but they can't see us when they listen to this.
Anyway I was gonna show it, but.
Yeah, so it's a rhyming book for children.
In the back it has questions and it even has a like explaining what Spoonie means and [00:41:00] explains what zebra.
Cause there's this really cool scene picture where the doctor, and it's animal like oriented, so it will appeal to kids even more.
But there's a doctor who's like looking at a textbook and it says how to treat horses.
And there's a zebra laying in the bed and Yeah. Yeah. So a really cool, and kids will pick up on that.
And there's even a bell scene where a goat's climbing up a mountain to ring the bell for like cancer patients that might read the book.
So yeah. So there's that. There's encouraging scripture.
There's like questions because I even wanted healthy kids to read it so they could gain empathy and understanding. Yeah. And just get educated on how to be kind to, to those people that are different than them.
So I wrote that book and then I actually published my memoir and [00:42:00] it's More than my Mountain.
So it's like the adult version of more than Your Mountains. Yeah.
And that's the book that Ian actually wrote the foreword to.
And so that was super cool. And it just, it tells my story. and it also kinda sprinkles in mountain climbing applications and how we can apply that to life.
And then I have a YouTube show called Mountain Climbers, where I have people who come on who have faced mountains in their life, but God gave them the scale the strength to the scale them.
So I brought them on and I actually was ask their permission to use their stories because I realize, not everyone's facing the mountain of sickness and I want anyone to can pick it up and read it and feel like it's for them too.
So I intertwine those stories and then I just published a Christmas novel and I'm very excited about [00:43:00] that.
It's called, and They Came with Haste.
And it's about a shepherd family in Bethlehem, and a mamed Lamb is born to them.
They keep it as a pet. But a long story short, this is the shepherd family that the angels appear.
And they get to go, see the nativity and see, the scene of Mary Joseph, Jesus, and all that.
And it's a novel. So it was I wrote it. The protagonist is, her name is Hadassah, and it's like a coming of age story where she struggles with wanting the same, independence and freedom that she sees men have.
That time she had to marry for many reasons and so it shows that struggle of her trying to accept what's expected of her. And so yeah that's, I, those are my books. And I have another book that will come out. It's for kids and it's called More Than Creation.
And it [00:44:00] just tells them that out of everything that God created, His favorite masterpiece is the kid who's reading that book, and it is the sequel to More Than Your Mountains.
And then, and they came with haste.
We adapted into a children's picture book as well.
So yeah, a lot of you have a lot on the horizon next year.
This is so exciting. Very exciting. Oh,
Kara Wada, MD: We will make sure to link all your links in our show notes so that people can pick up your book, head over to your YouTube.
Yeah. Book you for their next meeting to speak.
All of those things.
Whitney Lane Ward: Yes. Yeah. Like I said, I can adapt it to any type of situation, you know my story. Yeah. And. Yeah, I was I'd love to encourage anyone.
[Mic bleed]
Kara Wada, MD: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Whitney Lane Ward: You're welcome.
Kara Wada, MD: Thanks for your time and your vulnerability and just your beautiful spirit.[00:45:00]
Whitney Lane Ward: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me. It's an honor, so I am so glad that Dr. Arwin put you in my life.
So thank you for your care and just the great compassion and you know everything you have for me.
[Mic bleed]
Kara Wada, MD: Sending virtual hugs. Yes, Same. Same. Even though you can't see it, people we're, if they're watched on YouTube, they can see the sun totally in my eyes.
Yeah. Oh, thank you so much, Whitney.
Whitney Lane Ward: Thank you for having me. I had a blast talking to you.
If you have found this information helpful and empowering, I would strongly encourage you to hop over to
www.crunchyallergist.com
and SUBSCRIBE to our weekly newsletter, where we dive into
All things Allergy, Autoimmunity, and Anti-inflammatory Living.
Thanks so much for tuning in. I look forward [00:46:00] to talking again next week.
