Staying Connected

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk to Kelly Gann, who was diagnosed with VEDS in 2009, when she was in Physician Assistant (PA) school. Kelly shares how she coped with that diagnosis, how her life has changed since then, and how her experience has changed now that her sister, Cristy, has also been diagnosed.   … Continue reading Kelly Gann

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk to Tyler Farley, who was diagnosed with VEDS following a bowel perforation when he was 17. The VEDS diagnosis explained many things for Tyler, including the early death of his father, but also was a really challenging diagnosis to get when he was about to go into college.  … Continue reading Tyler Farley

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk to Samantha Arche, who was diagnosed with VEDS following a uterine rupture during the delivery of her second child. Samantha was concerned that she might have VEDS prior to this, but struggled to get genetic testing.  In the episode I mentioned the prior interview with Meg Boeglin, which … Continue reading Samantha Arche

Cristy Gann was diagnosed with VEDS after her son Hunter died of an aortic dissection last year, in September of 2021. Hunter was only 14 years old. In this interview, Cristy shares what happened to Hunter, signs of VEDS that were missed in both her and Hunter, and how she is handling her own diagnosis. … Continue reading Cristy Gann

In today’s episode, we’re going to touch base with Jeremias Tays, who was on the podcast back in 2019. He’s going to share his experience and insights over the last three years, as well as his experience with a bowel perforation that occurred in November 2021. The original interview with Jeremias in 2019 can be … Continue reading Follow-up with Jeremias Tays

Sarah Fulop was diagnosed with VEDS, or vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, after her sister died from complications following a pregnancy. Her brother also died of an aortic dissection at age 15, when she was about 3 years old. While her family is in some ways the textbook case of VEDS, they inherited the condition through a … Continue reading Sarah Fulop

This season we are going to talk to 7 members of our community about their stories and experiences with VEDS. We’ll hear from several people who have a VEDS diagnosis themselves, including a mom who lost her son to VEDS last year, as well as a spouse and mom of people with VEDS. We also … Continue reading Trailer: Season 4

Dr. Shaine Morris, pediatric cardiologist and researcher at Texas Children’s Hospital, and advocate for our VEDS community, shares how she got involved with the VEDS community and talks about her current research, the CLARITY registry. To enroll or get more information about the CLARITY study mentioned in this podcast, email Shaine’s research coordinator, Nadia, at … Continue reading Dr. Shaine Morris

Charlene’s son, Luke, was diagnosed with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (VEDS) at the age of 4, after persistent issues with bruising and bleeding led to a hematologist and a diagnosis of Von Willebrand’s at 2 years old, and then later, a rheumatologist who sent him to a genetic counselor who recognized VEDS at 4 years old. … Continue reading Charlene Terrell-Newman and Luke

Dominick Corso was diagnosed with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (VEDS) at the age of 44, after a sudden medical emergency that identified three aneurysms: two iliac artery aneurysms and an abdominal aortic aneurysm. This event led to his doctors suspecting a connective tissue condition and sending him to a geneticist who ultimately diagnosed him with VEDS.  … Continue reading Dominick Corso

Grace Ehrbar was diagnosed with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, or VEDS, at 12 years old after a spontaneous bowel perforation. She is the only person in her family with VEDS. In this episode, Grace shares her experience with the bowel perforation when she was 12, as well as how her knowledge and attitude towards VEDS has … Continue reading Grace Ehrbar

Otto Nitschmann was diagnosed with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (VEDS) at the age of 30, after he experienced a sudden splenic artery rupture. This event, combined with his hypermobile joints and his dad’s early death from a brain aneurysm, led his rheumatologist to consider VEDS and order a genetic test.  You can reach out to Otto … Continue reading Otto Nitschmann

Heidi Green’s daughter, Isabella, was diagnosed with VEDS, or Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, in 2021 when she was 8 years old. For years Heidi asked her pediatrician about problems Isabella had, but was told these things were likely due to her being born premature. When she pushed for genetic testing in 2021, she finally got the … Continue reading Heidi Green

Christopher Underwood was diagnosed with VEDS at the age of 52, after surviving an aortic dissection and complications following the dissection, including the amputation of the front half of both of his feet. His mother died of an aortic dissection at the age of 82, and his cardiologist recommended he get tested for VEDS. In … Continue reading Christopher Underwood

Karen DeCoursey was diagnosed with VEDS following her brother, Mike’s, diagnosis in 2017. For Karen, the diagnosis offered answers for many unanswered medical questions in her life, as well as the answer for her father’s death at the age of 49. In this episode, Karen talks about what she went through before and after her … Continue reading Karen DeCoursey

Jonathan Kile was diagnosed with VEDS in 2016 following a series of life-threatening emergencies, including an iliac artery rupture and an aortic dissection. His diagnosis at the age of 42 also offered an explanation for his mother’s early death when he was 5 years old. In this episode, Jon talks about what he survived, how … Continue reading Jonathan Kile

Lise Voje-Johanson’s daughter, Karna, was diagnosed with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (VEDS) when she was 8 years old in 2019, after her father, Trond, was diagnosed. Lise shares her experience getting and coping with Karna’s diagnosis, as well as information about the medical system in Norway.  This podcast episode is dedicated to Trond, who lost his … Continue reading Lise Voje-Johanson

Dr. Melissa Russo is a maternal fetal-medicine specialist, clinical geneticist, and researcher in our VEDS community. In this episode, Melissa shares how she got involved, what she’s working on in research, what inspires her, and her personal experience losing a friend to VEDS. Melissa is pursuing additional research collaborations with Dr. Bart Loeys in Europe, … Continue reading Dr. Melissa Russo

Ashley Rose Marisch was diagnosed with VEDS, or Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, in 2017, after previously being diagnosed with FMD, or fibromuscular dysplasia. Her sister, Allyson Jane, ultimately continued researching their family’s experience and history and pushed for the genetic testing for VEDS that led to Ashley Rose, Allyson Jane, and their mother, Dawn, to be … Continue reading Ashley Rose Marisch

Lyndell Fraser was diagnosed with VEDS, or Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, in 2008 following a carotid artery dissection and major stroke. His mother passed away prior to his diagnosis due to complications from the September 11 world trade center attacks, but both Lyndell and his mom showed signs of VEDS prior to his dissection and stroke. … Continue reading Lyndell Fraser